


Her Fairy Prince

by acuteneurosis



Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Ideas, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kyoto, Secret Identity, heel siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-05
Updated: 2010-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-27 11:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17160977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acuteneurosis/pseuds/acuteneurosis
Summary: Kuon refuses Lory's offer to escape to Japan and start a new life. Several years later, his parents drag him back to Kyoto, desperate to help him. While there, he decides to visit his last good memories and finds more than he expected.





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written as a one shot that expanded into... much more. Oops. Oh well.

It had been years since he had last walked through these woods. Years in actuality, but it felt more like a lifetime. He had grown since he had last walked this path, but so had the greenery, and somehow, it made him feel so small again.

So unimportant.

Or maybe that was just how his life was now. Worthless, undermined, not as good as he ought to be. A complete failure, incapable to live up to the legacy that he had inherited.

When Lory had come to his father just a few years ago and volunteered to take him away, to save him, he had chosen that he was beyond saving. He wanted to stay behind, to keep striving and struggling on his own. It had proved to be a foolish effort. Nothing had changed, except maybe to get worse. His faith in the world, and even more, in himself, wasted away until nothing was left. The hollow feeling he carried with him ate not just at him, but at the people around him. He was a miserable person to be around, and as such, chose to be around already miserable people whenever he could.

His parents were at a loss with what to do with him. They let time pass, tried to get him to come to love the industry again, tried to tell him that he was worth something. He turned a deaf ear to all of their speeches and cajoling. His hands and eyes were stained, he had lost all his innocence.

When Kuu had finally suggested heading out to Japan, Kuon had been more than skeptical at first. What sort of plan was this? Out to Lory and then leave him there? Julie promised that was not it. She pleaded with him for hours, talking about all the good it would do him to get away from here, away from these people, these streets. The memories, the mistakes. He had let the words pass over him until she had at last wailed.

"Didn't you like Kyoto?"

LME was dangerous territory where he would simply be abandoned; Tokyo was just another battleground waiting to happen. He could feel it almost instinctively. But Kyoto?

There was something special about Kyoto.

He had consented reluctantly. He was not the same boy who had left that place after all. But something in him longed to go back to that tiny glade, even if he was the only one there. Wash his guilt away in the small stream; bask in the tender warmth of that special sunlight that had once danced so tenderly across her face.

Almost the minute he had arrived, he felt uncomfortable. He left the small house they were renting (for an undetermined amount of time) and went out looking for a fight. But no one in the area seemed the type and when he finally hunted down the darker areas of town there was not a person of the size or determination to match him. He took his anger to the forest, determined suddenly to turn that pleasant place into a deserted mess.

But only a few steps in and he could already feel the pull of those few and precious memories calming him, taking away all the pain. He could pretend, here, that none of his past existed. The place felt frozen, like he was walking back through time to the boy he had been leaving this place last time. The boy that was still so good, so strong. The boy that had the capacity to help people. The boy who had, for a moment, flown high enough to please someone. Who had been so wonderful, he had been capable of sharing some of his magic with a precious, precious person.

He stepped out of the trees next to the stream and sighed in true pleasure, something he was sure he had not done in the longest time. The quiet sounds calmed him even more here, and he could almost hear her crashing through the brush to come out nearby. He turned to watch the spot where she had once appeared and nearly jumped in surprise.

He had heard someone coming. A young teenage girl stood half clambering out of the bushes, her dark hair hanging in front of her face, not quite concealing the frustrated look. She had paused with her skirt caught on a particularly stubborn branch, but looked up suddenly. He blinked, uncertain, surprise written clearly all over his face and hers. Then suddenly her golden eyes lit up and a smile bloomed across her face. Before he could understand what was happening he had been tackled into the stream, slim arms wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him with no intent to let go. He could vaguely hear a tearing sound mostly obscured by the jubilant shout of "CORN!"

Kyoko had not been expecting him. He had made no promise to come back. She had thought (very briefly) that it might not have been him. But nothing could ingrain enough doubt in her to stop her from jumping out to him the moment she had really registered what she was seeing.

"Oh Corn, you're back, you came back, you really did." She was holding him very tightly, face pressed tightly against him, not yet aware of the fact that they were now completely wet and still sitting in the river.

"Kyoko-chan, it is very nice to see you again, but these rocks are a bit uncomfortable," he patted her head gently as he acknowledged her, caught immediately by her brightness and love. He had forgotten how good she could be to an almost complete stranger.

His words brought her quickly to her feet, and to the realization that she now had a tear in her skirt. Not horrendously scandalous, but very uncomfortable. Not only had she pushed Corn into a river within ten second of seeing him, she had done so at the expense of polite appearances, in more ways than one. And he was a prince.

Kuon took notice of her plight right away and offered her his jacket so they could sit and talk, even though they were still wet. She gratefully accepted and in just a few minutes they had worked past the formal greetings and into a conversation of what on earth each of them was doing there.

Kuon made very vague answers, having to do with his father and important business. Kyoko was more than happy to explain she came back here because she had felt she needed to today. Something big was coming, she had been sure, and now she was more than happy she had come, even with the damage to her skirt. The two of them laughed happily and promised to meet again the next day when they were free.

Kyoko returned to the ryokan to face a brief lecture, but Kuon's return was unusually pleasant. He was home before dark, in time for dinner, and while he had no interest in talking about his day, he was not complaining at all. His parents were both in shock and wondered why they had not come back here so much sooner.

* * *

The next couple of days passed mostly in pleasure for Kuon and Kyoko. They met as often as they could, but Kuon could not go long without explaining at least a little why he was there and how long he would be staying. He managed to avoid it first by asking about her life and listing to her enraptured reports about how life was going with her and her prince Sho, her story about how her mother had now left her, and comforting her when it became difficult for her to speak.

But somehow she managed to catch the look of sadness in his eye when he realized how far he was from the boy who had cared for her so long ago. She wanted to know more about his troubles this time, help him the way he had helped her. He did not know how to tell her that he had abandoned all of the goodness that had made her once love him so much so soon after he had returned home. But somehow she dragged it out of him.

It went painfully slowly at first. He did not want to say it, did not want to admit to this girl that he was more flawed than all of the other people she knew. The agony of what he had chosen, of her knowing the choices he had made, was enough to make him wish he had never come. He almost held it back.

But somehow, she would not hate him, no matter what he said. It started vague and limp, more like excuses than an explanation, but grew into a full scale confession before long, at her coaxing and her prodding questions. Then she tried to defend him as if the rest of the world had been wrong and he was just a victim. He could not lie to her about whose fault it had been.

He told all of it. Not every thing that he had done, but all the kinds of things that he had done, poured out of him leaving a bitter taste. He could not look at her the entire time, could not face her. When he finally came to the end of it, telling her he was here because his father no longer knew what to do with him and might have to leave him behind, his voice was choked and hoarse and he was hiding away behind his hands.

Kyoko could not understand all of what he had said, or all of the whys. They were big and complicated, and they were full of dark misery. She did not quite understand Corn's parents either, though they seemed like they did love him at least some. But Corn was in pain. He had done things he should not have, that much was obvious. But he looked like the world was about to end and she could feel his guilt and anguish for his mistakes. And there was no power in the universe that was going to make her sit there and let him cry. She wrapped him in a tight hug and held him until the soft shaking stopped.

She had other questions, asked out of the blue and quietly, without wanting to hurt him but wanting to understand, to make sure. He could not believe she was still sitting next to him, still speaking to him, touching him, even comforting him. Her acceptance that day had released a huge weight on his shoulders and after he had calmed down enough to return home, his parents found him in a pleasant mood.

His explanations from before on where he had been became suspect. Julie grabbed her son and demanded to know what he had been doing.

"I was out in the forest. Took a walk, sat by a stream. It was a nice place. You and Dad would have liked it" _And her._

"You just went for a walk. I don't believe you. Look at you, do you see yourself? You've completely changed over the past few days. What is going on? What are you hiding?"

His parents both had their suspicions. He was their son after all. For all that he said he did not have either of their talents, he did, and he could be trying to pretend to be alright to wrap this trip up quickly and get back to the States. After all, he was worried about being left here.

The smile he gave her froze her in place; it was so bright and warm.

"What do you want me to tell you? I was out courting a princess? I'm fine, I'm being good, don't worry." He had wrapped his arm around her shoulder and placed a quick kiss on her forehead and was gone up the stairs before she could recover. Kuu, who had been watching from the kitchen had frozen in the middle of eating his "snack" and could only stare in amazement.

* * *

Five days into their reunion and Kuon's experience was moving from pure bliss to slightly irritating. It was not that he did not like being with Kyoko. It was not that he wanted to go out and fight. Something about her existence made it almost impossible for him to want that at all. But after hearing her talk about her precious Sho-chan at least once each time that they met, he could not help but feel bitter towards the guy. Clearly Kyoko still loved him with all her heart. And from what Kuon could pick up from her stories, Sho did not share the sentiment.

Going home after a particularly exuberant tale from Kyoko about how she had been able to sit with Sho at lunch that day, Kuon had the misfortune of running into the guy. He was not impressed with what he saw.

It was like looking at a less violent portrait of himself only a little while ago. Self centered, flamboyant, maybe more tacky than his own image, but overall worthless. And from the little pieces of conversation he was picking up, Sho really had no idea how special Kyoko was.

"Why did you let her sit with us at lunch anyway?" a girl whined, hanging on his arm.

"I have to every once in a while. She does make my lunch you know. I know she's plain and boring, but she gets so sulky when I don't give her some attention." The girl giggled and pulled him down the street.

He looked up suddenly to see Kuon staring at him, clearly not happy. Sho stopped, startling the girl, and glared back at Kuon. The girl turned to see what he was looking at and smiled coyly as her attention was caught by the taller, foreign stranger. Sho noticed the girl's distraction and glowered harder. Kuon just smiled at the boy and waved them both off, heading in the opposite direction.

Whatever Kyoko might be thinking, the guy was not worth it. Definitely not prince material.

Then again, neither was he…

And of course, she also had to discover this. He could not remember what he had said to her, a passing comment that just slipped out of his mouth. But the look on her face was confused and concerned. He thought briefly he might have said something about school.

"Corn, aren't you a fairy?"

The question caught him off guard and he could not respond. Even after his last confession she still thought that? Part of him wanted to hide it, but part of him knew he could not. She was not a little child any more. He would be going back to the States someday soon (probably), and if he did not want to lose her again he would have to give her his contact information.

And he did not want to lose her. Not if she was willing to keep him.

Almost as agonizing as that first confession, this poured out. Every other word seemed to be an apology, but he tried to explain it to her. He did not want to lie to her, but she looked so happy to think that he was a fairy. Once she had believed him he did not want to make her sad by telling her something else. He did not know how to help her as human. He did not know how to explain everything when he had to leave. He did not want her to be sad or to cry, he just wanted her to smile. He had hoped the stone would be enough. He had not thought he would see her again. He just wanted her to have a happy memory. He was sorry he had ruined everything by coming back now.

"I didn't think you would be here. I didn't think I would be here. I didn't think you would save me… again."

The silence made him miserable, but he still could not look up at her. How had Kuon, problem child and epic level playboy just a week before, turned into such a pathetic being? What was she doing to him, to drag out of him not one but two, two, desperate confessions which brought him as close to tears as he had been in years? He felt like a miserable fool, because not only had he lost face, but her silence told him that he had lost her as well.

He looked up, timid, but desperate to end this quickly and felt a stabbing in his gut when he saw the tears running silently down her face.

Too much, too soon… probably too much ever.

"Oh Corn…" He nearly died as she buried her face in her hands. "I really am the most useless person on the face of the planet aren't I?"

Kuon nearly toppled over from the shock. "What?"

"I keep making you so sad! I buried you in my troubles last time, worried you over my happiness, made you uncomfortable being here because you didn't want me to be upset that you weren't a fairy, and I still haven't done anything for you this time. I keep making you sad!"

"Kyoko-chan, no." He dropped to his knees in front of her and pulled her hands away from her face. "No, you're not the bad one here. I am. I'm the one who made up the stories, who went home and made bad choices. I did the bad things, not you. I'm the one who should be sorry."

She sniffled, tears still running down her face.

"But you always tried to make me happy. Even when you told me you were a fairy prince, you weren't trying to be mean. And this time, because I was too silly to see it myself, I made you sad again!"

"Kyoko-chan, weren't you listening to what I said? Didn't you hear me?"

She sniffed. "You said I saved you. But Corn, I didn't do anything. Nothing, ever! I don't even listen to your problems-"

Kuon cut her off with two fingers to her lips.

"Are you saying I'm a liar?" he asked quietly. Kyoko froze, looking at him in horror.

"No, I-" He cut her off again.

"Everything I said was the truth. You did save me. You were the only person in the world that needed anything from me. I didn't need you to listen to my problems because you let me listen to yours. You trusted me, believed in me, and cared about me. No one else ever needed that, not before then, and not after."

"But now I'm just making it harder for you," she insisted, making him feel even more guilty.

"I already told you, I'm the one who did the bad things. I made it harder for me. You've only made it easier. Even now, you aren't angry at me. You're worried about me. How can I be sad?"

She looked up at him timidly. "You look sad now," she whispered. Kuon's lips twitched up in a half smile.

"Because you aren't smiling. I'll be perfectly happy as long as I can make you smile." Kyoko stared at him uncertainly.

"Really?"

"I don't lie to you, do I?" Kyoko frowned a bit.

"Well, you just told me you were lying about being a fairy," she pointed out. Kuon chuckled nervously.

"But I told you the truth about that. And I won't lie to you anymore." Kyoko hesitated for a moment and Kuon held his breath. Finally, Kyoko gave him a small smile.

"Well, as long as you promise, I guess it's fine." Kuon smiled back. The relief was so overwhelming it took him a few more minutes to get of his knees and sit beside her again. But the rest of their day went fairly well. By the end of it, Kyoko knew his actual name, where he was from, and had promised that she would keep in contact with him when his parents finally decided to leave.

She was really an amazing girl. Capable of wiping away years of guilt within a ridiculously short span of time, she was still completely oblivious to the fact that at nineteen, Kuon should be able to make his own choices and live wherever he wanted. She could read Kuon like a book, notice his guilt and sadness where others had only seen willfulness and anger. Yet she could not figure out that her precious Sho-chan (who inevitably was brought up twice before Kuon left that day) could not have been less interested in her.

Kuon only wished there was something he could do for her. There was just something about her…

* * *

Kuu and Julie were torn between wonder and fear. Years of struggling to understand and help their son, and suddenly taking him out of the country for one week made him more alive than he had been since childhood. Coming home the day he told Kyoko who he was, neither one of them could understand how he could so easily have overcome all of the troubles that had been haunting him. Especially the one that had prompted them to ask for Lory's help in the first place.

He brushed aside their questions, reassured them that he was alright and that he was not causing problems. It was hard to disbelieve his smile and his manner. But both parents could not help but wonder exactly what had brought this about. Being alone had never helped him so much before. And there was his immediate acceptance of the trip when they had volunteered to bring him to Kyoto. He had no correspondence in Japan. He never touched a computer and his phone bill didn't reflect making any overseas calls. So it could not possibly be a person that had made him so happy to be back here. He hated running into people who knew him when he was younger.

What was this place that was working like magic on their son?

* * *

Two weeks after the Hizuri's arrival in Japan found Kuon waiting for Kyoko to arrive after her last day of school. She was later than he thought she would be. As far as he could tell, there would not be very many people to congratulate her, unless all the teachers came to speak with her. Even then, she would be here by now, wouldn't she?

The last week had been even better than the first. Everything about her relaxed him. With no secrets between them, he found he was able to help her even more. He was a steady and calm refuge in the craziness of the last week of school and the prep for the next rush of visitors to the ryokan. He also got the full truth of her feelings over her mother leaving. Her insecurities and sadness made him ache, but being the only one she could turn to gave him more hope than she could have possibly imagined.

And sometimes he would be struck with how much she had grown since they had first met. When she laughed, when she cried, when she gave him that heartwarming smile, he could not help but notice she was older. Not just cute, but sometimes even beautiful, sparkling still in the warm sunlight that added magic to the place. The thought always warmed him and he wished he could find the words that would explain to her exactly how he saw her in those moments. Given her personality, if he tried to tell her she was pretty she would blush a little and wave it off as a little compliment. He wanted her to understand how special she was. How much more she deserved than that obnoxious, egotistical, useless-

"KUON!"

He looked up as she burst suddenly into the clearing, having obviously run all the way there. She stopped right in front of him, hands on her knees, breathing deeply and looking absurdly cute in spite of being very disheveled.

"Oh Kuon. I can't believe it. It's like a dream come true! He just… out of the blue… oh Kuon I can't believe it!" Kuon forced himself to smile, even though he felt a tiny clenching in his gut. The boy had not actually confessed, had he? It was fundamentally impossible.

"You can't believe what," he managed to get out in a light tone, almost teasing.

"Oh Kuon. You know how Sho-chan hasn't wanted to stay here right? Because of his parents." Kuon nodded. She had explained the boy's enthusiastic dreams to Kuon on several occasions. The boy's parents had high expectations for their son, and Kuon did know how hard it could be to get into the entertainment industry. Kyoko, of course, had complete faith in the boy's musical talent, and from what Kuon had seen, he had the advantage of being visually appealing. But he was skeptical about Sho's choice and wondered what exactly it had to do with Kyoko. "He's decided to leave home. He's going to Tokyo and he's going to be a musician. He's going to sing, and become famous, and live out all of his dreams!"

"Good for him," It would be no problem to encourage this. Tokyo was far from here, and if the boy did well, maybe it would help him grow up a bit. "He's trusting you to keep his secret."

"He's taking me with him!" Kuon's blood went cold. "He can't really take care of himself, after all. But he's going to take me! He said I was the only one he could possibly ask! He's going to Tokyo to become famous and he's going to take me with him! It really is a dream come true! Oh, please! Don't make that face! You left too, remember! I couldn't make you stay. Oh please don't look like that, it isn't fair!"

Kuon worked to clear the sadness and betrayal from his face. She was right. It was not fair of him. He had gone off and left her behind without any expectations. She had every right to do the same. But even that truth could not counter the bitterness that was eating him. Of course, he was not actually a prince. He could not claim any right to take her away. But that other brat was not any more of a prince than Kuon was, and from what she had said, Sho's reasons for bringing the girl were not kind or loving. It made Kuon want to commit serious violence on another human being for the first time since Kyoko had reappeared in his life. He had a desperate desire to turn the kid's face inside out.

He finished composing himself, hiding his ridiculous compulsion, and gave her a weak smile.

"When are you leaving?" She looked guilty suddenly, and Kuon felt all the fight leave him.

"Tomorrow."

Of course. There would be no time to change her mind. She would have promised and there was not enough time to convince her to back out. There was nothing that he could do. He was going to lose her.

Was this his punishment for all that he had done? For all of the people that he had hurt? She had not stopped caring for him, but instead, she would leave him behind. Had the choices he had made led to this as the only option? Was the pain that was growing inside him his restitution for all the grief he had caused others? If he accepted this, would he be allowed to be happy again someday? Was this really the only way?

"Looks like your prince needs you," he did his best to smile and reassure her. She had never done anything wrong. He was the one with the unreasonable expectations. Growing so attached, even when he knew that he would be leaving. This was not too different. He would reconcile himself.

She smiled back at him and he while it hurt him so much to think that she was leaving, at least she would not be upset because of him. He could give her that much.

"I… I have to go now. I need to pack and get Sho-chan's things ready. And I wanted to help extra tonight since we'll be leaving tomorrow." Kuon nodded, refusing to show her any hurt. "I'm sorry. I wanted to give you something, since you gave me Corn last time and everything. But…"

"It's fine." Kuon stood and closed the small distance between them, giving her a quick hug. It felt right, and when he stepped away, realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

_I love her._

It was absurd. The total amount of time he had known her barely spanned three weeks, one of those weeks when she was only six… seven? And Kuon could not say that he had ever really been in love before. Oh girlfriends, he had had aplenty. But love? He barely knew what the feeling was. And yet, it was the only explanation that seemed right, given the sickened feeling that was spreading from his gut to his chest. The bitter taste of only just discovering exactly how deeply he felt for her sat uncomfortably on his tongue.

Too late now. Too late to fight. He had not used his time well enough. She had her "prince" already, and he would need to put in so much more effort to take her from someone else.

He took her hand carefully in his and bowed over it, kissing her fingers lightly. Best to send her off in a regal fashion. She was a princess.

"Goodbye Kyoko-chan." A tear formed at the corner of her eye and he brushed it away, making her smile.

"Goodbye Kuon."

He left then, before he said anything he would regret. He heard her leaving as well and wondered if he would ever see her again. If he would be able to bear it if he did.

* * *

Back at home, Kuu and Julie were unloading their concerns on a very interested Lory. He had wanted to make a trip out to see them earlier, but his company had kept him very busy. Listening to their story now, he was very surprised.

Lory had suggested getting Kuon out of the States, away from his usual haunts and from all the society that had rejected him. Japan had seemed like a great idea, even if it took him a while to calm down. To hear that less than twenty four hours in the place had made him civil and a mere two weeks had almost completely reverted him to the happy and caring boy he had been gave Lory a shock. He wanted the opportunity to evaluate the situation himself.

Kuon returned to the house in extraordinarily low spirits. It was over. He had lost, and to someone who was not worth losing to. Kyoko would be hurt by the scumbag eventually, and there was nothing that Kuon could do. He was not really a prince. He could not rescue her. All he had left of her was the slight tingling sensation on his hands and lips from where he had touched her.

Opening the door he had planned on heading straight upstairs, to avoid the questions that his parents would ask. The last thing he wanted was for them to see him depressed. It would worry them even more and he did not know what to say. He had been keeping her a secret out of habit, and probably a little bit (he could now grudgingly admit) out of jealousy. He did not really want to share her.

Now, he could not.

"Kuon, you're back?" his father called from the living room. "We have a guest."

Kuon grimaced, but put his most neutral face on and went to see whoever the company was. Upon seeing Lory sitting on one of the couches, looking at him curiously, Kuon was hit by a sudden burst of inspiration and hope.

"Boss, does your offer still stand?" The president and his parents both looked at him in confusion. He had walked in blank, but his question, not prefaced by even the briefest greeting, was full of determination, almost demanding. Lory recovered first.

"You want to act?"

"I want to go with you to Tokyo. To be an actor. I want to leave my name behind and earn my place in the industry. I'll remake myself until I can stand on my own two feet and return home under my own power." Kuu and Julie looked at each other, nervous and surprised. What on earth had happened? He had been afraid of being left behind just a few days ago. What on earth had their son been doing?

Lory studied him intensely for a moment before breaking out into a large grin. "Sounds good. Let's get started."

He stood up and made to go and was immediately stopped by the protests of two very unhappy parents, demanding answers and, at the very least, time to say goodbye. While Kuon was not very forthcoming with the answers, he reassured them that he still loved them. But he needed to do this. It was important and he wanted it. He would contact them again when he felt it was right. Within twenty minutes, and after several bouts of tears from his mother, Kuon finally bid his last goodbye and turned to follow Bos- the president out the front door.

Walking in and seeing Lory had been instant inspiration. She could leave, but he could follow. If he could not be her prince now, he could make himself her prince. He would. He had always wanted to follow his father's steps and be an actor. He would do it. And he would remake himself in the process. He would match that brat step for step in the entertainment industry and he would beat the kid out. When the moron finally betrayed his true feelings to Kyoko, Kuon would be close by, to reach out and take her back. And he would be everything she had ever wanted and needed in a man. Time would fix everything. She was still young, after all, and neither was sure of themselves. But he could do this.

_Just wait "Sho-chan." I'll take her back._

He followed the president out to a ridiculous stretch limo (how he had managed to miss it on his way in he would never know) and slipped in beside the older man, ready to take on the world. Lory waited until they were both seated and the car moving before breaking the silence.

"So, who is she?"


	2. Changing

The evening that Kuon left for Tokyo, Mogami Kyoko was sent out on an emergency shopping trip by Sho's mother. She felt it was a good opportunity since she would need to pick up some things for the expedition anyway. It was also a good chance to be distracted from what had happened earlier. Kuon had become even more dear to her during this last visit, and it hurt her more than anything to make him sad. She did not think it was fair that he should be able to leave and expect her not to, but life was unfair. And things were different. His parents had been leaving the country last time. This time, she was choosing to go.

Perhaps the thing that bugged her the most was that she had been too distraught by his reaction to ask for his address. And he had not offered it. This was probably because he had been so shocked by her leaving, but some small part of her worried that she had made him angry at her lost him forever.

She did not quite notice it herself, but in a last ditch effort to hold onto her dear friend, she had been mimicking him ever since they had said their goodbyes. Trying to prove to herself that he had been there, that they had met again and that she would not ever forget him.

But now was not the time for being sad. She had to think carefully about what she would need to get for her trip with Sho.

Her Sho.

She was so distracted by this thought that she accidentally bumped into someone as she began to skip around a corner. She was moving quickly enough that when she slammed into the other person she was thrown backwards onto the ground.

She began apologizing before she had even looked up. Without thinking she adopted Kuon's speaking pattern, although she somehow managing to still stumble over her words when he would never do such a thing. She was surprised when a hand was offered to her by a striking man smiling softly at her.

He seemed like a foreigner, but she was unsure. The woman behind him had to be, and she instantly took Kyoko's breath away. Beautiful would not have done the woman credit. It was not that she did not look her age. But she wore her age very, very well. Rather than looking young, she looked youthful, as though in spite of all the years she had seen, she knew she had an eternity of them left.

A small pang hit Kyoko in a deep dark corner of her heart when the woman smiled at her as well. If only her own mother-

"It's alright," the man said, interrupting her thoughts. "I was being a bit careless as well. I'm sorry I knocked you over."

Kyoko stuttered some incoherent reply, still captivated by the woman. Realizing she was being impolite she looked up to apologize again and was startled to find the man was now staring at her intently. She shrank a little under his scrutiny, unsure of what to say and very worried that she had offended him.

"Kuu, silly, you're scaring her." The man blinked and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. I was just thinking that you reminded me of my son." It was Kyoko's turn to blink.

"Your son?"

"Yes. He left just earlier today, and I don't think he will be coming home anytime soon. So I was surprised when I heard you speaking. It was so much like him."

"Oh. I- I didn't realize I was doing anything special. I guess I might have been talking like my friend. I'm leaving soon myself and I had to say goodbye today. I guess I was just…" she had no idea how to explain. The man looked surprised, but impressed. His wife, she had to be his wife, was looking between him and Kyoko with interest.

"I think we had better get going," she said softly, smiling at Kyoko still. "Sorry for bothering you. Thank you for speaking with us." It seemed like they really did need to get going, but she was also sincere in having been glad to have met Kyoko. It made the younger girl blush and stammer again.

She really liked these people.

She took off after just another moment and went to finish her errand. She would be leaving very soon after all. With this happy thought to sustain her, she started to skip again.

The couple watched her go for a moment before Julie tugged on Kuu's arm and motioned that they did still need to get home. With Kuon gone it was time to pack and get back to work. They no longer had a viable distraction to keep them here.

As they walked along, Kuu pulled out his cell and quickly dialed a number. It was an irate voice on the other end that answered.

"It's been less than twenty four hours. He hasn't died. Would you please let him go?"

"Hey Boss. Believe it or not, I'm not calling about my son. Well, not really."

"Surprise me," came the sarcastic drawl from the other end.

"You would not believe the girl Julie and I just met…"

* * *

Time passed in its inevitable fashion. Kuon found himself in the hands of a master manipulator, learning all at once how to be a real actor and how to be Japanese. Lory had something of a three step plan to work Kuon into his new life. It would involve him proving his acting ability while learning all the things he would need to know to try and prove to the world that he had lived in Japan all his life.

His first role was a rebellious half-Japanese youth whose parents were sending him out to Japan to gain an appreciation for its culture and to learn respect. The family he was cast on had to deal with an aggressive and insolent young man. They abused him thoroughly, with Lory's amused permission, but Kuon learned a lot.

Once he had proved to Lory that he had moved beyond the basics, his character was changed to a shy exchange student who was respectfully and worshipfully studying Japanese culture. He was too unsure of himself to want to associate with general society, but a small family environment would be exactly what he needed to learn the intricacies of daily life. He enjoyed this role more, but Lory thought it was much less entertaining.

Finishing that role, he was finally introduced to his new identity. Almost a year after he had left Kyoto, Kuon Hizuri had become Tsuruga Ren. After a brief and stunning audition he had been accepted into LME and had begun his steep accent towards setting the standards for stardom.

* * *

Tsuruga Ren's debut came about a half year after Akatoki Agency revealed their own Fuwa Sho. The singer attracted a great deal of attention with his first release and grabbed first place in the music charts right away, but it was his sad misfortune to debut so closely to Tsuruga Ren. He enjoyed a brief period of unrestricted attention, but once LME had released their newest acquisition, it was over for the boy. He never fell below any other musicians, but the top spot in entertainment was reserved only for Tsuruga.

Sho had no place there.

His journey to Tokyo had been surprisingly easy (thanks only to Kyoko, though he would not acknowledge it), and once he had gotten away from home, his parents had caved to his every request on the condition that he not come back. This was fine with him.

He eventually found an agency willing to sponsor him and set to work developing the image and the music that would eliminate Fuwa Shotaro from the world, leaving only Fuwa Sho.

As he worked on his own projects and did his own thing, Kyoko set about making sure life in Tokyo was possible. She worked as many part time jobs as she could manage (often more), rented the nicest apartment she could find (and barely afford), and put every minute of her day into making Sho's dream come true.

Sho did not have the skills needed to do part time work, so before he was able to find an agency, he lazed about the house. In addition to her own work, Kyoko had to take care of him, make sure he did not get bored, clean up after him, and do all of the research to find an agency for him.

Sho's joining Akatoki could be attributed to the fact that it came first on Kyoko's alphabetical* list of the top agencies, so he auditioned there first.

Once Sho was out of the house, Kyoko had slightly less work to do, but her time at home was now spent mostly alone. She came to dread the hours between work and sleep. There were few of them, but they were long and empty. And full of broken promises. Sho would always swear to be back soon, or to see her in a few days. But he lived his own schedule and gave no thought to her once he was out the door.

She still cheered for him. Still wanted him to succeed. And when he hit number one in the charts she allowed herself to believe that this would be the turning point. He would come back now. He would have time for her.

The turning point never came.

The worst part of being alone was the memories. Not of Sho and their childhood together. Memories of Kuon, who had taken care of her. Kuon who had listened. Kuon who had not forgotten her, even after all those years apart. Kuon, who even though he did not like her leaving, still sent her off regally.

Kuon, who made her really feel like a princess. Not Sho, who only made her wish she could be one.

She went along with her lonely life, a year of wishing something would turn around, thinking of how things would be different if she had not left Kyoto. Wondering, comparing, if she had come here with Kuon instead, how he would have treated her. A year of trying to stop comparing the two, to be happy with what she had.

And then one day she went to give Sho lunch, just to be nice and to be helpful.

The rest was history.

* * *

She was hurt, but not surprised. Her unfavorable comparisons between Sho and Kuon that had been going on for ages now softened the blow. If she had not met Kuon again, maybe things would have been different. Maybe she would have been angrier. Maybe she would have been more vengeful.

But she had grown up a lot since arriving in Tokyo and could not motivate herself to obsess over the boy now. Already she knew, Sho just was not worth it. He never had been, and never would be. And Kuon had known.

He had known, known how she would be hurt, but let her go. Because it had been her dream to be with Sho, and he would never hold her back. No wonder he had been so sad at their parting. So hesitant. He had expected this.

He wanted better for her. He always had.

She left the expensive apartment and found a new place with one of her employers. They were a good couple, they were kind in their own way, and they were willing to work with Kyoko over things like food, working hours, and the rent agreement.

Kyoko was glad for the last part in particular. Now that she was done helping Sho, she wanted to do simple things, like go back to school. This would take up a fair amount of time, which would take away from her ability to do part time work and earn money to pay for things.

But Kyoko had a plan.

Actually, the funny thing about this plan was that it involved her doing almost no part time work outside of school. But it was an important plan, and Kyoko was going to see it through.

Kyoko knew she was not the smartest person in the world, but upon looking up the name Kuon Hizuri on the internet, she felt like a complete moron.

Kuon had told her his father was famous. He must have thought she was completely brainless when he had told her he was a Hizuri and she had not responded in any special way at all. She had figured it was really only a famous name in the States.

Clearly, she was wrong.

After twenty minutes of web browsing on a computer borrowed from the child of a valued and kind customer of the Darumaya, Kyoko realized she had a long way to go before she could accomplish her goal. And it would require more luck that she could really hope for. She had no amount of certainty in her skill, and she would need lots of skill to reach her destination.

Kyoko was determined to make it big as an actress in the United States. It was the only way she had a reasonable chance of meeting Kuon again, as far as she was concerned. Kuon had mentioned that he wanted to get back into his father's industry, and even though she could find no new information about him having done so, at the very least she needed to get out of Japan to find him.

But she was not leaving the country with no prospects. She had left Kyoto in that ridiculous fashion and she could see clearly now where it had gotten her. She needed to be able to reach Kuon's level of work and society. And even if Kuon decided to not chase after his father's shadow, Kyoko might still run into him through his father if she did well enough. She was surprised to find she had already met him, for that brief moment before she had left Kyoto.

Maybe, if she could find him again, he would remember her at least a little?

Scolding herself for dreaming up impossibilities, Kyoko used the rest of her time on the borrowed machine to look up information on becoming an actress through LME. Because it only made sense that she would chose LME as her agency.

Of the agencies she had already researched, it was the best. The revelation of Tsuruga Ren had occurred only a short time before Kyoko started her research, but his name was already all over the web. Clearly, people believe that LME was a magical place when it came to debuts of rising stars. As an added bonus, it was considered the rival agency to Akatoki, which meant it was very unlikely that she would have to face Sho again. She was done with him and did not want to have to explain herself if he found her in the entertainment industry. It was none of his business.

But the best advantage she could think of was that LME was the agency that had made Kuu Hizuri, or rather, Hozu Shuuhei, a household name. And the president of LME was still on close terms with the now foreign star. Nothing could be better. She might even get to meet him again before she became famous.

But joining LME was going to be a challenge. Kyoko, in a calm and reflective state of mind, knew she had no experience in acting. Period. And a person with no experience had no hope of passing as auspicious an audition as would be held at Lory's Majestic Entertainment (she was a little concerned about the name…).

And she had to join. With no other purpose in her life now that Sho was gone (thank goodness) her only passion was to find the only person who had ever cared about her. The person she had to find and tell how wrong she had been. The person that she had to apologize to. She had to find him and thank him for saving her.

But, since she had no hope of meeting him as she was now, she needed to change herself drastically. Not in a way that would disappoint him. Some part of her still had to be the Kyoko-chan he had known and cared for. She had been changed by Sho, by life, but she refused to be destroyed by them.

And Kuon had changed plenty in the years that had passed between their meetings, but he had still been so much the same person that had left her so long ago. So maybe she could do it. Maybe she could become a girl worthy of knowing Kuon Hizuri.

First things first, learn how to be an actress.

* * *

LME had the advantage of running a school for interested talents who wanted to try and break into stardom. Upon learning this, Kyoko had developed hope. Then she had seen the admission requirements and the price tag.

After a good rage fit, where she promptly cursed all rich brats and thieving companies, Kyoko decided to look and see if there was any way that she could get into the school to learn how to act.

She discovered that she could go and visit the acting school and tour it without making any commitments, and she could get a list of the requirements for the audition. If nothing else, this was a step, and maybe, just maybe, luck would be on her side.

It was, though she could not have known it arriving at the building.

She was met by one of the teachers and taken around to all of the classes, told in professional jargon all the things she would be taught, and was overawed very quickly. She had the feeling the woman was trying to get rid of her, not seeing any real potential, but she stuck through the veiled insults and paid close attention to everything that was said.

Upon asking about paying in installments, the woman told that the decision was not up the teachers, but up to others, who would decide based on the results of Kyoko's audition. This was not encouraging, but Kyoko smiled and thanked the woman sincerely.

At which point she was thoroughly insulted by a seven year old girl with curly blonde hair who appeared out of nowhere and told her in no discreet terms how stupid she was. She was being insulted and thrown away like a dirty tissue and she didn't even have the brains to see it.

Kyoko blinked, looked at the child, and smiled in the most evil way the young girl had ever seen. Kyoko then asked the girl why she had not learned better manners, since hers were severely lacking.

The girl declared it was because her mother was dead, clearly assuming this would send Kyoko reeling. Kyoko shocked her by laughing.

"What does that have to do with anything? Parents can be irresponsible. They can even hate their children. Who told you that you were exempt from common politeness because you were wallowing in your own tragedy?"

The woman, who had assumed Kyoko to be a very unassuming creature and easily dissuaded, suddenly wondered if she was not a terrifying and dangerous person. She quickly tried to fix Kyoko's disastrous mistake, stating that the girl was really a good girl and should not be troubled by Kyoko's overbearing world views.

The little girl surprised them both by laughing, running over to Kyoko, grabbing her, and shouting, "Onee-san!"

It was, of course, at this moment, that Lory came in.

He had been looking for his wayward granddaughter, and was completely thrown when he saw her firmly and gleefully attached to a young woman who he had never seen before in his life.

The other woman, now completely terrified, fumbled apologies to her boss, tried to detach Maria from the guest, and explain that the man who had just walked in dressed in a spectacular costume was actually the distinguished president of the entire company.

Kyoko blinked, stared, blinked again, and then smiled.

So this was "Boss."

Kuon had only mentioned him very briefly on a very few occasions, mostly when mentioning one of his father's strange habits. He would tell her that these were endorsed by the Boss, who had more than a few quirks of his own, the best known of which was his propensity to dress in elaborate and completely inappropriate costumes.

Of course seeing the spectacle was completely mind blowing. She could not actually fathom what dressing in costumes meant for the wealthy and truly eccentric. But in spite of her shock she smiled, bowed (with Maria still attached to her legs), and gave a brief and humble introduction.

It was now Lory's turn to blink, and then smile.

"Do you want to be an actress?"

Confused by his abruptness, Kyoko paused to think about this. She had never really acted before. She had no idea if she really loved it, and it seemed suddenly wrong to act for so prestigious a company for such selfish reasons. It was really in bad taste.

She thought about the rooms that she had been in and the things that people had been doing. She thought about what it meant to be an actress, a professional one. Giving up herself to make other people's dreams into a reality. That was really what she had been doing all her life. For Sho's parents, for Sho himself, for the other people that she had known and worked for. Setting aside her personal wants and tendencies, she had done her best to make them happy. And she had really loved it.

Acting would, of course, be different in many ways. But from what she had seen, she would love it. It would help her become that new person, it would be like what she had been doing all her life, and if she really put her heart and soul into it, she might be able to meet Kuon again.

"Yes. I really do want to be an actress."

Lory could read the sincerity on her face, and the fact that she had put so much consideration into the answer made him respect her. He did not like dealing with wannabe talents who were not in for the long haul, but as long as they did realize that acting was what they wanted to do, Lory could respect them.

"Excellent. What seems to be the hold up?"

Kyoko looked briefly at the woman who was still fluttering apprehensively beside her and looked intently back to the president. He suggested that they move somewhere else so that she could become better acquainted with Maria, who was clearly attached to her (and avoid his obnoxious employee). She nodded and they were escorted to an unused classroom, where Maria proceeded to sit next to Kyoko on a couch and continue to hold onto her.

Kyoko, by this point completely at ease with the girl, shifted to put an arm around her and stroked her hair. She was not at all used to small children, or being affectionate to strangers, but something about Maria called to her, and she was perfectly happy to oblige the girl.

"So, what seems to be the problem with you being an actress?" Lory posed the question again, watching his granddaughter and wondering what exactly this Mogami Kyoko had said to impress her so much.

"I really don't have any experience, and I am not sure I can pass even the beginner's class audition. And even if I did, I can't pay the fee up front. If I could manage installments, it would be fine, but…"

She watched to see what his reaction to these words would be. With so little experience, he had to be wondering what on earth she was doing here. She had to sound like some desperate ignorant child who just wanted fame and attention. She was surprised when he smiled and nodded in understanding.

Though she could not know it, Lory's intuition was telling him there was much more to her that met the eye. He was willing to bet his absurdly extensive wardrobe she had deeper reasons for what she was doing, but because she was also sincere, and seemed to have some base talent (anyone that could deal with seeing him for the first time with so little shock had to be gifted) he could take her seriously.

And Maria not only liked her, but seemed to be liked by her, which was a major plus in Lory's book. The girl had the capability to handle as strange an agency as LME could prove to be.

"How soon would you like to start?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This is applicable, even if using the Japanese "alphabet".


	3. Meetings

Kyoko was busy. Wonderfully and gloriously busy. Morning to afternoon was spent in school, which she was attending thanks to the recommendation of President Takarada. Directly after school was acting school, which she had somehow managed to get into, again with the personal recommendation of the president. Evenings were dedicated to working and earning her rent, and late nights were time for studying and homework.

Exhausting, but the best thing that could have happened to her.

Acting school was going very well. Ever humble, Kyoko was pleased with her progress and allowed herself to hope that she had some chance in the future of becoming an actress, possibly even a good one.

Her teachers were in shock. Kyoko had not gotten along with her acting classmates early on, and as such had been timid and reclusive in drills and study. Her position in the class of having the president's personal recommendation made her a target for bullying and gossip among the others. She turned everyone away with a gentle ignorance, seeming to be a harmless dolt. So when she was first put into a role that demanded power, authority, and agression her classmates and teachers were ready to see her fail.

She sent her partner running from the room, crying. Then she smiled softly, bowed to her instructor, and sat down quietly. No one questioned her again.

The little free time that she had was quickly monopolized by Maria. The girl was devoted to her adopted onee-san and Kyoko was happy to be with the child. Maria's worship sometimes worried her, but Kyoko was glad to be an inspiration and to comfort the girl when things were difficult. She worked with Maria and her fascination with curses. Together they made all kinds of charms, and Kyoko developed a terrifying skill of making dolls for charms and voodoo curses. Her skills were limited by what she called the imperfections of her subjects. But Maria was still very impressed.

Kyoko had quickly been told the full story of Maria's mother's death and of Maria's estrangement from her father. Kyoko consoled when possible, entertained when desired, and scolded when Maria needed it most.

Lory watched this and all of Kyoko's other exploits with more than a little amusement. Her treatment of Maria quickly won her a place in Lory's heart. The reports he was getting from her teachers made him smile in a way that would frighten his closest associates. Lory was not a man to bet against, and he was proving this again.

Kuon had been very reticent about the friend he had made in Kyoto, refusing to acknowledge, even to Lory, that she was female and that he liked her. Lory suspected something childish, like pouting over a one-sided first love. But he did not push the matter. Kuon would have enough on his plate in the near future.

When he had received a call later that evening from Kuu he had wanted to strangle the man. Lory had no patience for Kuu's oya-baka tendencies. They were amusing from a great distance and a curse for anyone who had to actually put up with them. Lory could not help but feel for Kuon.

But that evening, Kuu had given Lory a piece of information that Lory found very interesting. He had not expected Kuu to run into a girl who was imitating Kuon perfectly (a subtle sign of possible deep talent), especially not one who would have had to learn how to act like Kuon from the boy himself. He was willing to bet his life this was the girl that Kuu's son was still pouting over. Kuu also mentioned the girl was leaving Kyoto, which only strengthened Lory's conviction and allowed him to start plotting.

If there was any way to meet this girl and test her talents…

Time had provided Lory with the fulfillment his wish. Upon first seeing Kyoko he was not sure who she was, but the very brief insights she had given him had set his mind to work at discovering what it was that intrigued him so much about her. Gaining a small personal history after his first interview with her he had enough pieces to start looking into her background.

He was very pleased with what he found. He looked forward to all the fun things he could do with the information.

* * *

In the mean time, Tsuruga Ren was taking the world by storm. Freed completely from the name of Hizuri and unattached from his fretting father, Ren worked purely on his own talents and took risks. And he proved himself to be worth more than even he had fathomed.

Which quickly disintegrated into trouble, because well known and highly attractive stars get attention. And no amount of attention is good attention when you are trying to get to work on time. Add to this the number of jobs piling up needing to be sorted, the publicity issues that needed to be handled, and Ren's decreasing number of sleeping hours, things were becoming problematic.

Enter the first of several highly incompetent managers who were well intentioned but not prepared to handle of man with Ren's workload and personality. It was impossible for them to say no to Ren's overstuffed schedule, even nicely. And so Ren began to drag around useless human baggage, which tended to add to his workload rather than ease it.

Several polite dismissals later, Lory finally produced a miracle.

Yashiro Yukihito fit Tsuruga Ren's gentlemanly image wonderfully. He was a placid shadow to Ren's shining brilliance. On top of that, while he respected Ren's intense work ethic, he was rational and logical. He had a great understanding of the industry and which jobs would be to Ren's benefit and which ones were just work. He listened to Ren, agreed with Ren, worked with Ren, and told Ren no. Politely.

Ren could not have been more grateful. He respected his manager, loved to be able to focus on his work, and was glad to have a few extra hours of sleep each night.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kyoko was experiencing something new and very exciting. For the first time in her life, she had a female friend. Her best friend. Her first best friend.

She bubbled with glee. And consequentially terrified said friend.

Several months into Kyoko joining the acting school, the class was joined by a young woman with an excessively cool demeanor. She was arrogant, she was anti-social, and she was a good actress, for all that she contained some (unknown) fatal flaw which required her to attend acting school.

Kyoko was still as polite and reserved as ever in her classes. When Kotonami Kanae first learned that Kyoko was practically worshiped by the class, she was sickened. How could such a plain housewife of a girl be so admired? The class had to be a joke.

Then she had acted opposite of Kyoko and had been more than shocked. The girl, who sat so humbly and denied any praise thrown her way, was a terror in her role. Sweet, vicious, rude, timid. There was not a character that she could not throw herself into wholeheartedly.

Kanae immediately filed her under worthless rival. She hated people that pretended humility and the made everyone else look bad. She hated the fact that this plain girl could hold her ground in acting. And she hated the most how this girl seemed to watch her… all the time.

Kanae finally cornered her after class one day, demanding to know what this Mogami Kyoko was looking at. To her great surprise the girl looked bashful and mumbled an unintelligible answer.

"Mo, I can't hear you when you mumble like that!"

"A princess…" she repeated, still in a soft voice. Kanae froze, unable to fathom what she had just heard.

"A what?" Kyoko looked up and met her gaze squarely, her eyes shining in a way that scared Kanae, her hands clasped together in a worshipful manner. She was teeming with admiration.

"A princess. A beautiful, amazing princess."

It was really hard to disbelieve that face. It was not like the faces that she made while she was acting. It was so _un_ real, Kanae could not help but believe it. And it drove her mad.

How could this plain, boring, simple, _insane_ girl be such a good actress.

"You are a freak." Kyoko only smiled, making Kanae shudder. She would never fathom how that day's simple events would bring about a friendship that would last the rest of her life and drive her crazy every day of it. But though she could never figure out how it happened, it did. And later, she was grateful for it.

Kyoko blossomed even more under the attention. She had no real experience with female friendship and it added a dimension to her personality that not only made her brighter off stage, but added depth to her characters and expressions.

Kanae tried to keep Kyoko at arms length as long as possible, but eventually caved to the other girl's whims. Kyoko was a powerful force, and more importantly, a real one. The feelings she had for Kanae (disturbingly renamed Moko-san of all things) were honest and powerful. And since Kanae could not boast of previous female friendship either, she grew from the interactions.

Kyoko was a little disappointed when she went to Kanae's house, but Moko-san's family was kind to Kyoko and she enjoyed all of the times that she spent there. She did feel for her friend though, and was secretly very glad to be an only child. Nothing good seemed to come from having siblings.

At long last, a year passed and Kyoko had completed enough of her classes to graduate from acting school. She was sorry to leave her best friend behind, but looked forward to the work they would do together when Moko-san finally escaped. In the mean time, Kyoko had her own work to do.

* * *

The sad fact of life is that it is, ever and always, unfair. If Fate had been at all on Kyoko's side, she would have run into Tsuruga Ren some time during her time in acting school. If it had been simply ambivalent, she might have met him once she joined the main body of LME.

But she did not. Mogami Kyoko of course knew of Ren, she had seen him from a distance, and he seemed like a nice enough man. She hoped to work with him one day. It would be a true test of her acting ability, and the best way to test how close she was to her goal. Tsuruga Ren was the top, and if she could match that, she had hope.

But owing to her age, image, and experience, once she entered the acting body Kyoko was thrown into roles in dramas aimed at a teenage audience, far from the work that Ren was involved in. She did not meet him, did not work with him, and did not consider herself anywhere near his level. She was barely aware of him.

In contrast, Ren was acutely aware of Kyoko. Lory, in his manipulative pleasure, had dropped a few subtle hints to Ren about a new actress that got along well with Maria named Kyoko. Ren had dismissed the idea, then was bothered by it, and finally caved and watch the premier of the first drama Lory had mentioned she would be in.

After a good bout of swearing and wishing he were childish enough to kick something, Ren had resigned himself. He did not know what had happened to bring this about, but he hoped it meant that Kyoko was far from that idiot she had left with. He also hoped she was doing alright. Whatever had brought about her leaving Shotaro could not have been a pleasant experience.

On his own time, which time he now had at least some of thanks to his wonderful, amazing, talented, albeit electronics challenged (how did he kill all those phones?) manager, Ren kept track of Kyoko's progress.

He knew that all kinds of interview questions and bits of information would have been predetermined by the company, as would their answers, but he also had enough experience to guess how much of the information was true. He kept track of the people that she worked with, noted the projects she worked on, and saw her rise fairly quickly from anonymity to popularity.

And stay single.

Now if he could just find a way to actually see her again…

Six months after Kyoko's debut found her walking the hallway of a random studio, preparing to leave for her next job.

Kyoko had enjoyed the time she had spent working and was a little proud of the things she had done. She seemed to be doing well in the industry (her humility and ignorance prevented her from seeing exactly how well) and she really enjoyed being an actress.

Perhaps the most enjoyable part was the special assignments that the president would give to her from time to time. Technically, she was under the supervision of the acting department, but Lory never wasted good tools, and on occasion would call Kyoko in to do some work as a private actress. She enjoyed these jobs and remained blissfully unaware of her influence on the people she worked with. Lory could only grin as managers, directors, and coworkers of previously troubled talents came to Lory demanding to know what spell he had cast to make them act like normal human beings again.

Lory simply ignored them.

As Kyoko walked down the hall, she hummed a little to herself, thinking about what she would prepare for her dinner that night. She was distracted enough that she did not notice Ren and Yashiro coming from the other direction until she had almost bumped into Ren. She stopped abruptly, jumped back, and began to apologize profusely.

"I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going! I-"

In a normal human female, the abrupt cutoff to her speech would have been shock at the magnificent figure that now stood before her in all of its masculine glory. Yashiro assumed her silence was in admiration, and was preparing for a horribly tedious conversation where Ren would have to chase this female off. He was surprised by the look on his charge's face.

He could not quite place it, and that worried him.

Kyoko was not stunned by Ren's astounding good looks (though her stomach did do a small somersault upon seeing him). The marked resemblance he had to Kuon had taken no time to register in her brain once she looked at him, and she was now trying to decide how on earth this could have happened.

Ren recovered from the shock of seeing her first.

"It's just fine. We seem to have avoided an accident quite nicely."

Kyoko knew that smile, but Yashiro had never seen it before and it gave him the weirdest feeling. He was torn between a warm and fuzzy joy and and sickly sweet desire to puke.

"I-, I-"

"You're Kyoko, I believe. Matsushima-san has mentioned you a few times."

"Oh. Yes. Did he really? Oh, I'm sorry. I mean- You must be Tsuruga Ren?"

Yashiro detected the note of a question in her voice, as if she almost did not believe it. Why was Ren not concerned by this?

"More or less."

_What is that supposed to mean? Ren, what are you doing?_

Yashiro could not quite understand what was going on. Was Ren, Tsuruga Ren, _flirting_ with this girl? The girl had the oddest look on her face now, as though she was searching Ren for something. Then she noticed Yashiro and started.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I know…"

"Yashiro Yukihito," he answered calmly, extending his hand to her. She shook it and gave him a warm smile. "I'm Ren's manager."

"It's nice to meet you, Yashiro-san. I'm Mogami Kyoko. I'm an actress at LME."

"I think I've heard of you, though not from Matsushima-san. You're new?"

"I've only been working for six months," she answered.

"Oh, I see. I thought you had been in a drama."

"Two, actually. Why?"

"I just hadn't realized. I'm sorry."

"Oh no. I don't expect most people to have noticed. I mean, it would be very nice, if I were doing so well, since it would mean I was doing a good job. But it isn't surprising that you haven't really heard of me."

Yashiro was stunned. The look on her face was far too innocent for him to disbelieve it. This girl actually had no idea how well she was doing for having been here for so short a time. Was this why Ren was interested in her? Did he expect to be working with her in the near future?

"I see."

"I'm sorry, Kyoko-san, but I'm afraid Yashiro and I do need to get going," Ren interposed.

"I'm sorry! I've been wasting your time!" Ren chuckled.

"No, no. It's been a pleasure." Ren extended his hand and Kyoko gave him hers, expecting him to shake it.

Instead, to Yashiro's horror, Ren executed a deep bow, holding her fingers lightly and kissing them. He looked up to meet her eyes, his mouth still hovering over her fingers, and Yashiro noticed an intense look on his face, as if he were trying to convey some kind of message.

Apparently, she got it. Her smile was shy, but there was a sincerity to it and… relief?

"I expect we'll run into each other again sometime," she murmured, sightly breathless, but that did not surprise Yashiro. He would have been more shocked if she did have herself under control. Ren stood again, still holding her hand.

"Of course. Good afternoon, Kyoko-san."

"Ts-Tsuruga-san. Yashiro-san." She retrieved her fingers, made a deep bow to both men, and hurried off. Ren watched her until she rounded the corner.

Alone again, Kyoko fought a blush that was blooming bright red on her cheeks. She should not be reacting to him this way, even if he was her good friend Kuon. And he had to be. She had seen it in his eyes, the recognition and the same tenderness that she had noticed the day she had left him. He must be Kuon. Nothing else would explain why a man as revered, gifted, and famous would even look once in her direction. If she could just see him again, have him confirm it with his own mouth. Then she could banish these tiny doubts, which had to be the source of the tumult that was going on in her stomach. After all, just seeing him could not possibly make her feel so dizzy.

Yashiro was also having trouble understanding the exact significance of the encounter.

" _What_ was that?"

"I believe she was a girl, and her name was Kyoko, Yashiro. You were listening, I thought." Ren took off down the hall again, and Yashiro was only a step behind him.

"That is not what I meant. You've been _attacked_ by women of every kind since the first day I met you. You're a perfect gentleman and insanely direct, but you never, ever, treat a girl like you just treated Kyoko-chan."

"'Chan?'"

"She's cute. I don't think she'd mind. She's young, Ren." This was accompanied by an accusatory glance.

"She's seventeen."

"Why do you know that?"

"I couldn't say."

"Alright, she's only four years younger than you. Hooray. I don't have a say over your life and I'm not even going to try and tell you how to develop your relationships. But Ren, that was not normal behavior, and I am responsible for you. What's going on?"

"You don't need to worry about it. I know what I'm doing."

"I know that. But I don't know, and I need to. A girlfriend brings major press problems, Ren."

"She isn't my girlfriend."

"I'm planning ahead."

"And making assumptions."

"Explain to me how that is unreasonable. Especially given what happened back there." Ren sighed, unlocking the car that they had now reached and sliding in. He waited for Yashiro to join him before he answered.

"It was unusual behavior. I'm sorry that I worried you. But I don't think you have anything to worry about as far as planning goes. I have work that I need to do and so does she. And we don't meet often, in case you haven't noticed."

"So you do like her?" Ren frowned, wishing his manager would let this go before Ren completely gave himself away.

"I think she is an interesting girl and talented."

"In spite of the fact that you only met her just now and you've only heard of her from Matsushima on a few occasions."

"I… watched her first drama when it came out."

"You watched a drama. You. Watched a drama. Of your own volition."

"The president mentioned it."

"The president is known for his love of dating sims and shoujo romance. So you decided to watch a show he recommended."

"He said one of the actresses was friends with Maria."

"You watched a president recommended drama for a possible eight year old actress that got along with Maria."

"The president said she was older."

"In high school, maybe?"

"Yes."

"And you watched it. For the high school girl, that was Maria's friend."

"I had heard of the project before. I had a fairly good idea what it was about."

"What was it about?" Yashiro's voice was ripe with mockery. Ren did not answer and Yashiro gave a satisfied smirk, which quickly turned into a frown. "Seriously Ren, what is this?"

"If you want to know the details, ask the president. I can't tell you." Yashiro sighed, but relaxed in his seat.

"You could have said that from the beginning Ren. I know the president takes on crazy projects, and that he involves all kinds of people."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time. I'm sorry I can't say anything." Yashiro waved his comment aside.

"You're a good kid," he stated flippantly. "You get up on time, memorize your script without asking, you even eat your vegetables when I remind you to eat. And you're a really good actor. I'm just in charge of making sure you don't get mobbed by fans and reporters. I worry when you suddenly develop a crush on a girl I've never seen before."

"I don't have a crush on her." Yashiro snorted.

"Denial."

"I don't."

"Fine, you're madly in love with her. And you don't want her involved with you for any number of noble reasons, including the fact that you've been stalking her for the president and if she were your girlfriend she would be lynched."

"I didn't-"

"And in spite of your hideously obvious feelings, she probably doesn't actually have a clue how you feel."

"How you could possibly come to that conclusion after two minutes of us talking-"

"I may not have known you for a long time, but good grief Ren, I've seen a man in love before. And I don't know her very well, and if she had reacted to you like all the other girls I knew I'd say your biggest problem would be keeping her at arms length. But any girl that gets into two dramas in six months and thinks she shouldn't be known isn't likely to catch onto the biggest catch in the entertainment industry thinking her the cutest girl he's ever met."

"Well, you've got that part of her personality right" he grumbled bitterly, thinking of the time that they had spent together just a few years before. Yashiro noted the lack of denial in Ren thinking that Kyoko was cute and the familiarity Ren seemed to have with this girl's personality, but chose to say nothing. He was relieved to think he would not have to prepare Ren's revelation of a girlfriend in the near future, but he was uncomfortable with all these secrets. And a little doubtful. He hoped that Ren would keep Kyoko at a safe distance, at least for now. There seemed to be a premonition of catastrophe wrapped around the two of them when they had stood together. He worried about it.

* * *

Two weeks later found Ren in the president's office, watching as the older man fiddled with a cigar before lighting it. He looked up at Ren every so often, but nothing could be seen behind Lory's eyes.

"You don't think I should take the project," Ren stated, hoping to get this conversation over with. "You've said so before, and you'll say it again before this is over. You don't think I'm ready and you don't think I can handle it."

"I wasn't going to say that."

"I know I've never played this kind of role before, but I'm taking it seriously. The director has asked for me in particular and I've agreed. I can't back out now."

"I know you can't. That wasn't why I called you here. You remember when I agreed to this I told you it would be under a few conditions."

"That I took responsibility for myself."

"Yes, and did everything that I told you to. Including the use of the alternate acting identity that your director wanted."

"I thought that was fairly straight forward. And I told you that I would let you take care of that. You know all the ins and outs of using stage names in official situations."

"I'm giving you a partner."

"A what?"

"A partner. You need a manager for this anyway, since Yashiro-san won't be allowed to accompany you. This person will have a role to mesh with yours, and will be responsible for you to a certain degree, though I don't actually expect them to control you."

"And you trust this person?"

"Implicitly. They've handled a number of projects for me already and know the routine. And they're responsible. They'll be able to handle Cain, no matter how bad you let him get."

"You're sure about this?"

"It's my condition, Ren. I can still force you to pull out for the sake of the company and its image if I have to."

"That has nothing to do with it."

"No, but the truth is better kept between us."

"Alright. When do I meet him?"

"You'll change and get into character, then I'll take you to meet them. You're going to spend the rest of the week together and make sure that your characters are in order. I'll manage getting you to work and changing between Cain and Tsuruga Ren."

"Alright. But he had better understand the situation. And be prepared." Lory produced a wicked smile.

"I think you'll be surprised."


	4. Together

In Lory Takarada’s extravagant home, perfectly designed for keeping all kinds of secrets, Ren waited, dressed in dark clothing, with lots of leather and a condemning pack of cigarettes in his pocket.Yashiro stood a little ways away from him, occasionally sneaking a glance in Cain Heel’s direction.

Yashiro was surprised to see Ren so comfortable in this role, standing in a passive and deadly posture, seeming to ignore everyone.He knew Ren was a good actor, but this was just…

Both men were waiting for a door on the far side of the room to reopen.Lory had disappeared behind it not long ago and said he would return momentarily with Ren’s partner.Yashiro suspected that Cain Heel was not as indifferent as he appeared to be, but was not willing to broach the subject.Ren was trying to get into his character to be ready for his companion.Yashiro was not willing to interrupt.

Lory, in the meantime, was facing his own problems.

“I don’t mean to say that I won’t do it.I did promise.”

“Then what exactly is the problem?” he asked with a sigh.

“I just... didn’t realize exactly what kind of character you were asking for.”

“I told you exactly what the role would entail.”

“I know.But you haven’t told me exactly what I will be doing.Just what the character is.”

“You’ll be fine.You have all week to work things out with your partner.”

“But is he really okay with it?”

“He doesn’t have a choice.I told him he would have to work with someone, and I chose you because you are the most reliable.”

“What if he doesn’t like me?”

“I’ll work that out.You don’t worry about it.Just do your job.”

“Alright.But... do I have to wear this outfit?”

“It’s for the most direct impression of the character. You can help pick out your other outfits later, as need arises.But the image is important, and you know why.”

“To draw attention away from his character.”

“Exactly.”

“Alright.I’m ready.”

The door opened and Yashiro and Cain stopped what they were doing to watch Lory step through.He held the door open for his companion and Ren felt his stomach drop.Yashiro was simply staring in disbelief at the spectacle before him.If Cain had been a surprise, this female was shocking.

“Here Cain, I brought her, just like I promised.”

“Ah…” Ren knew he was completely out of character, but had no idea what to say to either his boss or the girl that was standing beside him, her hand placed defiantly on her hip, a look of boredom on her face.

The problem was that the girl was clearly Kyoko.

In a miniskirt.

A black, leather miniskirt.

And high heeled boots laced up the front with fine chains hanging off of them, wearing blonde hair streaked with pinks highlights, in a half vest corset barely covered with a leather jacket, neither of which covered her abdomen, wearing black leather fingerless gloves covered on the back with chains and with leather belt cuffs, and an assortment of earrings embellished both her ears, a spiked dog collar cinched around her neck, and a studded belt hanging loosely around her hips.And she had a lip ring.

It was Kyoko, but it was not at all what he had been prepared for.He doubted he would ever be prepared for her if she was dressed like this.

“Surprised?”Lory asked, a gleeful teasing on his face.Kyoko relaxed her pose and developed a worried look, allowing Yashiro to suddenly recognize her and become frozen again in shock.

“I’m sorry.The president said he had explained-” she began.She had recognized Kuon behind the dark look and was suddenly worried.He did not look happy to see her, and she would be the first to admit that he was the last person she had wanted to see her like this.Was there any way to take it back?

“I did explain.I told him he had no choice in the matter, which was all he needed to know.Cain, stop standing like an idiot and give your sister a hug!”

Ren gave Lory a withering look which immediately had Kyoko more worried.Was he already upset?Did he not want to work with her?

“May I please have a full explanation first?”He asked, noticing Kyoko’s discomfort and trying to be as calm as possible.He was not angry at her, after all, and she seemed very distressed.Between his reaction and that outfit, which had to be what took the president so long to drag her out here, he could not wonder at her worry.

“I think an introduction very first might be better.Kyoko-san, this is actually our wonderful Tsuruga Ren, in his character costume as Cain Heel.You’re partner.Ren and Yashiro-san, this is my spectacular Mogami Kyoko.She’s been working here for a little while and I get her to run special errands for me when I need a genius.”Kyoko blushed at his praise.

“We’ve actually met,” Yashiro mentioned quietly, giving Kyoko a small smile, trying to rationalize this creature with the girl he had met so many days ago.She returned his smile gratefully.

“Excellent, then I’ll let Setsuka, explain,” Lory gave Kyoko a reassuring smile of his own and gestured to her “brother.”She gave the president a pleading look but was ignored and turned to Ren, who still looked upset about something.

“I was asked to play the part of Setsuka Heel, Cain’s younger sister.She’s kind of… flashy,” Yashiro snorted, labeling that the understatement of the century.“She’s supposed to be absolutely devoted to her brother, and she works as his manager since no one else is really up to the task.It’s easy for her, since he dotes on her all the time and…”

She trailed off, looking to Lory in case she had missed something important.

“She’s with her brother all the time,” Lory added, staring at Ren in a way the younger man regarded with utmost suspicion.

“Oh, yes,” Kyoko added with the sheepish smile.

“I see,” Ren responded, trying to avoid looking at Kyoko.Her nervousness only increased.

“You’ll be together most of the rest of the week,” Lory added, seeing Kyoko had nothing else to say.“You’ll test out each other’s characters and get used to being together.I don’t mind if you work your way into it, but by the end of the week, you are the most obsessed sibling couple that has ever existed on the face of the planet.You need to be perfectly comfortable with each other.”

“The trial will go for the full week?” Ren asked.

“Unless something horrible happens, yes.There’s no reason the two of you, as professionals, can’t work through your differences if any trouble arrives.Though, I would suggest to avoid unnecessary discomfort by remembering to lock the bathroom door…”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, you didn’t understand.”Lory pulled two cards from his pocket and handed one to each of the stars.“Since you’re siblings there isn’t any trouble with having you stay together _all the time_.Actually, it’s imperative that you do, to truly act out your characters.Those are the keys to your hotel room.You’ll both be staying there until the filming ends.”

“Living… together?” Kyoko seemed very dazed as she asked, the card held carefully in her fingers.She wasn’t quite sure what to think, but there was an odd fluttery feeling in her stomach.If Ren had known it, he might have voice a complaint, but as it was, he was dealing with his own feelings of shock and horror.

“As siblings, yes,” Lory’s grin was bordering on insane at this point.Kyoko voiced no other complaints, but said almost nothing else as she was led by Ren out of the house to the car that was waiting with their luggage to take them to their new residence immediately.Cain gave the president a hateful glare as he exited, his hand hovering _very_ carefully about his sister’s waist to guide her through the mansion.

Lory chuckled once they were out of earshot and Yashiro stared at him in disbelief.

“President.”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Of course.”

“But… something could happen.”

“That’s the point!”

Yashiro eventually recovered enough to leave himself, but it was long after the president had left the room.

* * *

Fortunately for the sibling pair, nothing of the sort of thing that Yashiro feared actually occurred.Kyoko was professional, and after Cain had bought Setsu a complete wardrobe of his own choosing, Ren had much fewer problems dealing with his clingy and loving sister.The first week was a unique experience for both of them.In spite of Lory’s well placed warning, there was one incident when Ren forgot to lock the bathroom door.It ended without too much trouble, especially given that Kyoko managed by sheer luck not to see anything that would have caused unconquerable amounts of trouble.

While neither ever broke character, there were times when tidbits from their past together came out and played a role in their sibling camaraderie.But more than anything else, their time together was an experience in how much the two of them had changed.Kyoko quickly discovered that Cain had horrendous eating habits and Ren in turned discovered that Kyoko was an amazing cook.Kyoko was later told by Lory that Cain’s eating habits were as rampant in Ren as they were in his carefree character.Ren learned of Kyoko’s professionalism and truly abounding in the most intense circumstances.He had watched her dramas, certainly.But that was nothing compared to the effort she put into the daily life of Setsuka Heel.Kyoko had always known of Ren’s talent, and had held him as her highest goal, but living with Cain and watching BJ was inspiring.

For Kyoko, it was also an experience she had unknowingly been hoping for since she had left her life with Sho.The desire, completely irrational, to live perpetually in the presence of a person that cared for her (she refused to admit that she thought of Kuon specifically) had burrowed itself in her brain as she had lived those lonely months so long ago.

Time spent with Cain, even the hard moments, was precious.Everything he did revolved to make her happy.He doted on her, spoiled her, thanked her, teased her, spent all his free time with her, and complimented her in every way imaginable.

For the both of them, it was frequently a test of willpower.Kyoko was not sure what this growing anxiousness was inside of her, but it seemed to alleviate based on her proximity to Kuon.The problem with this was that Kuon, setting Cain aside, seemed to be uncomfortable with her in close proximity.

And Kuon was fully aware of it.He had been trying to discover how to become involved in Kyoko’s life since he had left her that day in Kyoto.But he had not been planning on being forced to live with the girl that he loved before he had even expressed his feelings to her.Before he had even confirmed to her with his own mouth that he was the person she thought he was.

It was a lesson to Kuon in exactly how much self control he actually had.He was surprised, but proud of himself.

Kyoko also learned a good deal about Kuon as he had been during those missing years between their first two meetings.She noted the various things that Cain, and his character BJ, were capable of and interested in.She also dealt with a number of hard evenings after difficult filming days, where Kuon tried as hard as he could to retreat into himself to wallow once again in his self hatred.

“Cain, what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.”

“You can’t go to bed yet, silly,” she coaxed him, grabbing him from behind as he made his way towards the bed.“You still have to eat dinner.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Caaaaaain!Do you hate my cooking that much?”

He didn’t have to look at her to picture the exact pout on her face.He had seen it time and again these past weeks.

“Don’t be stupid.”

“You won’t eat it.You don’t eat things you don’t like.”Still pouting.He could hear it clearly.He turned in her arms and glared down at her.

“I don’t eat anything when I’m not hungry.”He just wanted to be left alone tonight.Alone with those memories…

“Cain,” her face had switched from pouting to worried, “please.”

And how exactly was he supposed to say no to that face?It had been a mistake to give her the idea early on.He had hoped his puppy dog look would strike her feminine weakness and bend her to his will.It had.But he was no more immune to it than she was, and she was much more shameless about using it. _All.The.Time._

Kyoko’s coaxing, prodding, teasing, and comforting arms carried both of them through any number of trying moments and long nights.At the end of it all, Kuon knew without any question that he could no longer let her go.In his old, childish life, in the life he had foolishly fallen into, and in the life he had made for himself here, she was the only one to reach him, no matter the circumstances.

In spite of their closeness, there were times that Kyoko became afraid.Through all their work, not Cain or Ren ever said anything about him actually being Kuon, not even in the darkest moments that he suffered.He was always in one character or the other, at least on the outside.She doubted, questioned, was reassured by a speaking glance or a sudden touch, and then was dragged back into the fear.

If he was not Kuon, what would she do?If was Kuon, and after this he wanted nothing to do with her, how would she feel?This neediness growing inside of her, was there any other person who could satisfy it?

* * *

Six months passed.At the end of their filming, Lory congratulated them both on a job very well done.He shook Kyoko’s hand, and, while she went off to change a final time, clapped Ren on the back and teasingly complimented him on his astounding restraint.

“You parents would be proud,” he added in a more serious tone.Ren gave him a weak smile.“But they’ll still want grandchildren,” Lory added with an evil grin.Ren rolled his eyes, but refused to give the random remark any comment, and went to change himself.

When Kyoko came back out, looking completely like herself again, she found Ren there waiting for her.Lory was not.

“Good evening, Tsuruga-san.Were you waiting for something?”

“You, actually.I was wondering if you wanted to join me for dinner as a sort of farewell to our roles.Especially since we might not see each other again for a little while because of work.”

The time together had been the best advantage of the job.Normally, it would be impossible to meet.This had kept them constantly by the other’s side.How could she say no to the last evening they might spend in each other’s company?

“That should be fine.But I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you in any way.”

“You won’t.Actually, it’s a bit selfish, but I was wondering if you would mind coming over to my apartment and cooking for me.If it isn’t any trouble.”

“Your apartment?”

“Unless you had a better suggestion.Or are you worried?”He was teasing her and she smiled, used to this after the several months of Cain taking advantage of her literal tendencies.

“Are we heading out now?”

“I figured you’d want to get to the store as quickly as possible so that I don’t make any excuses about it being too late to eat.”

“Naturally.”

He took her out and they went to the store to grab the necessary ingredients, Ren assuring Kyoko that there would not be anything at his house in the form of food that she could actually use to prepare a meal.Pots and pans and a nice kitchen he had.Things that had to be prepared without the use of a microwave, he did not.

He and Kyoko wore caps as they wandered into the store and Ren had fun making stupid choices as Kyoko shook her head and picked out the proper materials.To her dismay, he also chose to abuse the ticklish spot he had discovered during one of their more childish fights as Cain and Setsu when she was reaching up for something on a shelf, poking her side quickly and watching her shriek and flinch.He then got the item for her as an apology.

He paid, clamping a hand firmly over her mouth as she tried to voice her protests.As she struggled with the appendage, the cashier took Ren’s money, watching the odd couple with a small smile.Kyoko made a few angry gestures in Ren’s general direction and kicked his shin lightly.Ren patted her head, grabbed their bags the the receipt in the hand not over her mouth, and thanked the cashier.Then he released her mouth, grabbed her hand, and led her out to the car, ignoring her angry protests.

These continued all the way to his apartment and up the elevator.When they finally stood outside his door Kyoko finally gave up and settled for pouting at him.He ruffled her hair and proceeded to open the door.

Kyoko stepped into his apartment and allowed herself to be awed by the expensive nature of his living environment.The hotel they had stayed at had been nice.This was insane.She could see him in here, all alone, with these sparse furnishings and sterile atmosphere.It made her feel a bit lonely.

Ren stepped around her and moved to drop everything off in the kitchen.

“It isn’t much, but we can eat in the living room.I’ll drop you off at home whenever we finish.”

“Mmm,” came her vague reply as she stepped up and walked over to his huge couch letting her hand trail over the leather as she stared as the glass top table on the floor, trying to decide exactly what shape it was.Letting it go, she looked down the hallway to see what else his apartment could be hiding.She saw a few doors, but all of them were closed tightly.

She was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into a tight embrace by her host.She let out a small gasp but relaxed into his hold and placed her hands over his arms.

“Kyoko…”

“Tsuru-”

“That’s not my name.And my name isn’t Corn either, but I think you might remember that.”

“It’s really you?”

“Of course it’s me.”

“It’s really been a while, hasn’t it.Even with all the work we’ve been doing…”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Kuon.”

They stayed there for a little longer before Kyoko reminded him that she needed to make dinner.He released her, reluctantly, and let her escape to the kitchen, not entirely sure how the rest of the evening was going to go.

* * *

Lory, while not a completely meddlesome person, had hoped for a little more progress between his two protegee during their stay together.It was a flimsy hope, based more along the lines of a silly fantasy that they were not mature enough (or so cowardly) to hide behind their characters and avoid the fact that they were _not_ actually related.

His comment to Ren had been mocking; he had not told Kuu and Julie about Kyoko, particularly in relation to Kuon.But he thought it might be time to start things moving on that end.

Kuu would need time to adjust to sharing his son, after all.

“Boss, do you have any idea what time it is?” came a highly irritated voice on the other end of the phone.Lory reclined on the couch in his personal retreat, playing idly with a glass in his hand.

“In which time zone?” There was some mumbled cursing.“Call this payback, Kuu, for all those stupid calls you’ve been placing at odd hours to ask about your son.Besides, even if it is late, you weren’t sleeping.Nothing would have woken you if you had fallen asleep.”

“No, but I did just get home from work and was about to spend the first quality time I’ve had with my wife in three cursed weeks.”

“Put the phone on speaker.We’ll make this a group chat so that you two can cuddle.”

“How generous,” Kuu growled, but the background noise increased as he did as he was told.Lory heard Julie in the background and waited for the two of them to get situated.

“Hey Boss,” came Julie’s cheerful greeting.

“Hello.It’s been while.How are you doing Julie?”

“Better, now that my husband is home.Was there something you needed?Do we finally get to hear about our son?”

“Nothing special.You can keep perfectly good track of him like all the normal people out here do.I’m not his spy.”

“Then why the sudden call?” Kuu demanded, still sulking.

“You remember that girl you told me about three years ago?”

“Girl?” came Julie’s teasing and jealous voice.

“The one you ran into in Kyoto, Julie.The night your son left.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, I remember her,” Kuu answered.“Did you finally find her?”

“Oh, I’ve known her for ages.She’s been working as an actress for a year now, and a year before that she was babysitting Maria in between work and acting school.”

“What?”

“I thought you might like to know,” Lory stated blandly.“I know it’s a bit late, but I’ve been watching to see where she’s going before I recommended her to you.I think you’ll like her, thought I’m not sure you’ll care about her current work.”

“What has she been in?”

“High school dramas.She’s had some bit parts in other things, but unless you already know her, it isn’t really worth looking into them.”

“What’s her name?”

“Kyoko.”

“Thanks, Boss.That’s really helpful.”

“Her stage name is just that.You won’t find her work under her full name.”

“Lovely.”

Lory named her projects.

“Is she nice?” Julie asked, suddenly sounding nosey.“Do you think Kuon would like her?”

“I’d say it’s a safe bet.”


	5. Progress

To Kuon's great relief, the rest of his and Kyoko's evening together went fairly well. She prepared dinner while he sat quietly waiting for her in the living room. When she was finished, he helped her set the table and sat down across from her. Watching her, he decided he would not try to express his deeper feelings to her tonight, and assumed (correctly) that she was unaware of them. He figured that she did know that he cared about her and was satisfied with that for now. He had things he needed to discover first. He couldn't have her running from him before he understood what had happened to her.

They ate in silence for a while, but eventually Kuon got tired of it and began to ask some of the questions that were plaguing him.

"Where are you living now?"

And the explanation began. It started with her current living conditions, the kindness of her landlords, the excitement of going to school, the fun that she had working as an actress, some of the jobs she had done for the president. She told him about Maria and about Kanae and all the fun she had had in acting school.

Kuon could see how much she loved her new friends and her landlords. She was happy with her work and her busy life, and he was glad that she had found a place where she was comfortable. His only concern was her apparent reluctance to talk about her entrance into this world, or why she had left Shotaro.

"It sounds like things are going well."

"Yes! I've been very lucky with how things have gone. If I hadn't met the president at the beginning, or Maria, I don't think I would have ever made it this far. And I really love acting."

The warmth of her smile was comforting and the faint embarrassment that stained her cheeks pink was adorable. He could not resist reaching out and tousling her hair, like a small child.

"Kuon!" she complained, trying to move the hair back into some semblance of order.

"What?"

"You're being mean," she pouted, a touch of Setsu leaking out. Kuon chuckled and flicked her nose.

"Sorry." His smile completely disarmed her. "If I promise not to do it anymore, will you come here again?"

"Eh?"

"Well, I don't think my eating habits are going to improve anytime soon-"

"Absolutely irresponsible!" she interrupted angrily, successfully distracted from the random oddity of the request. "How you can be so careless about your body when it's your most important tool in the industry-"

"I appreciate your concern," that smile appeared again and Kyoko stuttered, trying to reclaim her train of thought. "But I can either sleep or learn to cook. I don't really have time for both."

"That's just an excuse!" she retorted.

"Alright, I might be able to learn. But it would be easier if I didn't have to. Having you come over would be a big help."

"So you just want me to come over to make dinner for you?" Her voice was neutral, but she was a little disappointed. She did not mind cooking for him, but she had hoped…

"I want you to come over because I want to see you. We're both busy and we don't run into each other very often, even around LME. Dinner is a perfectly good excuse to keep Yashiro appeased and not asking weird questions, and you can make sure I'm not killing myself." Kyoko looked suddenly upset.

"Maybe we shouldn't."

"Why?"

"If your manager doesn't like it-"

"Yashiro won't have a problem with it. He harps on me about my eating habits only slightly less than you do. He'll just be annoying."

"I.. I don't think he likes me," she told him in a quiet voice, her head bowed and her hands folded on her lap.

Kuon was stunned. Yashiro had been very anxious about Ren's proximity to Kyoko, and had worried about what might happen to them during their extended stay together. He never seemed to adjust to the fact that it was a job. But Yashiro had nothing but the greatest admiration for Kyoko. He had noted an improvement in Ren's demeanor, even at his other jobs. Yashiro had seen the benefits of Kyoko's scolding in Ren's eating habits. And he had spoken to her briefly on a few occasions during the switches between Cain and Setsu, during which conversations he had become even more impressed with her.

His opinion of her was so much improved that he had decided to stop worrying and to start teasing Ren at every available moment about how his "love life" was going.

Kuon's biggest concern about having Kyoko over for dinner was not Yashiro's disapproval, but him finding out about it and making fun of Ren even more.

"Why do you think that?"

"He… he only really ever saw me when I saw Setsu. I don't think he approved of her very much."

"I have no idea what he did to lead you to that conclusion, but he doesn't hate you. He didn't hate Setsu either."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. I told you; I'm not going to lie to you, didn't I. Don't you trust me?" She returned his smile.

"Well, if you say so."

"So then, you'll come over again?"

"If you'd like."

"Definitely."

Really, if he kept on smiling at her like that, she was going to vaporize.

* * *

In spite of their busy schedules, they were able to see each other at least twice a week. They had some trouble in the beginning, finding times where they were both available. But Kuon eventually convinced her to hand her schedule over to Yashiro so that the capable manager could look things over and make suggestions to Ren. Yashiro became an irreplaceable help to them, handling both of their schedules, advising the two of them, and making sure there was always time for Ren to pick up Kyoko and take her shopping before it got too late. He never mentioned the increase in his workload to Kyoko, who would have panicked and refused to allow him to help anymore. But he would often joke to Ren that he at least deserved a raise for all the extra work that he was doing.

He was shocked when not much later he received a notice for a doubling of his paycheck, special order from the president.

Clearly, powers from on high were working to bring these two together. Who was Yashiro to stand against it.

It could be said that things were going well, but things were not progressing. Kuon was becoming frustrated, wondering what kind of place exactly he held in Kyoko's heart. If they ran into each other at work, he was merely a respected senpai that she knew of, which was disconcerting for all that it made sense. In his home (only a home when she graced it with her presence) he did not doubt her affection for him. He did doubt if this affection was anything more than the tender feelings of a girl for a childhood friend, or possibly for an older brother figure. She did not seem to be aware of him in any other way.

Which was exactly what Kyoko wanted him to think.

While she refused to attach the stigma of "love" to the feeling that bubbled inside of her whenever she even thought about Kuon, she could not doubt her need for him. Kanae was her precious friend, Maria was the little sister she had never had, and her landlords (she sometimes allowed herself to fantasize) might even treat her like their own child. Her feelings for Kuon were nothing like her feelings for these people, and it made her question herself.

But she could not trust herself to believe anything other than Kuon's affection for her was the tenderness for a little sister. Whenever she felt like his feelings towards her might be more than he was letting on, he would start to tease her, just like Cain harassed Setsu. Nothing lover-like about that.

And she would not put all her hopes and dreams on the line based on her own intuition (which strongly disagreed with her logic). She did not trust herself anymore. So she tried to sort out her feelings and spent copious amounts of time perfecting her doll making. This allowed her to have arguments with various Kuon's, Ren's and Cain's that scolded her, teased her, and explained kindly to her the many faults in her ways of thinking and her arrogance in assuming she could understand him. The dolls, later discovered by Maria and Kanae (awed and frightened in turn), became frighteningly good miniatures of their model, but they could not convince Kyoko that she should pursue her feelings. Which made them sadly and incurably flawed.

* * *

"I looked into that girl you recommended, Boss," Kuu told Lory one evening after Lory had returned home. Kuu had a break at work and had used it to call his old friend, curiosity eating at him.

"Really. What did you think?"

"How _did_ you find her?"

"She came to me. Willingly. She was wrapped in my granddaughter's arms and standing perfectly unfazed, even in the presence of my own greatness. She didn't even flinch."

"That… is incredible. And you knew it was her? The girl we had met."

"Sadly, I am not omniscient. Just brilliant. She told me she had lived in Kyoto and from there it was a bit of poking and prodding. Technically I couldn't be one hundred percent certain, but if you recognized her…"

"Not immediately. She's very good at what she does. But it is her. Julie's sure of it, and has a better eye for those kind of details. And she wants to kidnap her, by the way. Seems to think the girl to cute to ignore."

"Sadly, I cannot hand her over. You will have to come up with a clever way to steal her from me. And since that is impossible, you will have to be content with a slightly less brilliant plan to borrow her."

"Julie wants to adopt her."

"Did she actually say that?"

"More or less."

"Less then. I think your son might have things to say about that."

"He wouldn't want a sister? He wouldn't have to deal with her if he disliked her."

"You'll have to trust me on this one. I doubt your son had any problem with the idea of a sister. Mogami-san isn't the girl you want for that."

"Julie's convinced she wants this girl for her daughter. Unless you have some other brilliant plan-"

"I think your wife might," Lory interrupted, fighting a smile.

* * *

Kuu and Julie were not the only ones taking an interest in Kyoko's future. While Kyoko had never spoken of her work with Ren, and Maria could be appeased by Kyoko simply stating that Ren made a good model for her dolls, Kanae wanted to know what her unassuming friend was doing making minis of Japan's most desirable bachelor. Perfectly.

So she kidnapped Kyoko for an evening and attempted to drag the truth out of her. After the probing questions had finally penetrated the giddy euphoria of her sleepover excitement, Kyoko became sad and worried.

"I just want to know why you use him. Everyone knows that he's good looking, but you don't fawn over guys for that sort of thing. And you aren't presumptuous in any way, so unless you felt you had some right to, you wouldn't be making models of a guy you barely knew."

"I'm sorry Moko-san! I just can't explain it any better than that." Tears sprung to Kanae's clever eyes and her face drooped with a wounded pout.

"I thought we were best friends..."

"MOKO-SAN!" Kyoko wailed, throwing herself at her friend's feet. "I REALLY CAN'T SAY! PLEASE DON'T BE SAD!"

Kanae decided it would be better to calm the girl and not wake up the rest of the neighborhood.

"Really? You can't tell me anything? Nothing at all? I'm not angry, but I just don't get it."

"I- We- We were working together. On one of my special projects for the president. But I can't say anything else. Please Moko-san!"

"Fine, fine. I get it. Stop sniveling already. You're nose is running." After Kyoko had cleaned her face Kanae tried again. "So you were working together. But why the dolls?"

"Oh, that's just habit. I can't stop doing something until I've perfected it."

"I've seen you other dolls, the ones that you made with Maria before. Why weren't those good enough?"

"They weren't perfect. Their models were off."

"And Tsuruga Ren is perfect?"

"Well, his body is." Kanae wondered if her friend had even registered the words that had just come out of her mouth.

"Really?" Even Kyoko couldn't miss the implications of that tone.

"No no! Not like that!" Her blush was fiery. "I meant he has a perfect form! Balanced! And good facial structure. And ideal musculature."

"Well, one would expect that from the sexiest man in Japan."

"Yes, but I'm really not-! He is handsome, and very nice, and silly sometimes, and he has the worst eating habits, and he doesn't take care of himself like he should, and everyone loves him, but really really really, I'm not-"

"Why do you know his eating habits," Kanae interrupted. She had not thought it possible, but Kyoko's blush deepened.

"It was... part of the job."

"Riiiight."

"Really, I'm not infatuated with Tsuruga Ren! He's just very nice and we worked together and he makes a good model, and..."

"Relax, I'm not going to tease you anymore."

But Kanae did not believe for an instant that Kyoko had such bland feelings for her "senpai" as she claimed. Kanae had been told about Kyoko's old life and about her lousy ex-not-boyfriend. She did not like the idea of some other man stepping into Kyoko's life and stealing the girl away from her friendship with Kanae. But Tsuruga Ren seemed to penetrate even Kyoko's broken and unwilling heart. If he could make her feel even a little bit better about herself, Kanae would give him breathing room next to her best friend. But she would be keeping an eye on the man. A close, careful, and jealous eye on him.

It was probably a good thing for Kyoko that she did not know people on all sides were plotting her future happiness. She would hate to think that she would disappoint them, and she was still avoiding the idea of loving Kuon.

But it was time for a change, and since Kyoko had no desire to move forward, Fate would have to intervene. A man would have to take the first step.

Sadly. this man was not Kuon.

* * *

Having been effectively abandoned almost two years before, Sho had not given any thought to Kyoko at first, but had gradually come to wonder where she was and what she was doing. When he had realized that the people around him could not respond to his needs being transmitted telepathically, he began to miss the girl who had so often put herself out off her way to please him, and had actually known what he really wanted.

Sho did not watch television. He did not follow teenage dramas, he did not involve himself in other branches of the entertainment industry, and had no interest in the young woman that his most desperate clinger-on, Nanokura Mimori, kept complaining about called Kyoko. Based on his brief questioning, _this_ Kyoko was not cute, was not flirtatious, and had no interest in music or men.

Boooring.

And then, because it had to be so, Sho ran into Kyoko one evening as he was leaving a talk show he had appeared on.

He spotted her stepping out of a restroom, glancing around as though she was looking for someone. She was dressed, oddly enough, in jeans and a large jacket, zipped all the way up. Her hair was pulled back, and she was carrying a duffle bag and a baseball cap. He was shocked to find that he did recognize her at all.

But this had to be _his_ Kyoko. Plain looking, boring, and dressed for some sort of menial labor. He could only think of one reason that she would be here.

"Miss me that much?" he drawled as he took a few casual steps towards her. She looked up, shock clearly written on her face.

"Sho! What are you doing- Oh. Did you have an interview?" She was eying him nervously. Well, any stalker would.

"You say it like you don't know," he teased, sauntering up to her and striking his most condescending pose and looming over her. She took a step back, but he followed her.

"Sho," his manager interrupted, worried about what was happening, "you should leave her alone. We have to go."

"In a minute, Shoko. Don't you remember her? It's my old roommate. She must have missed me more than she thought she would."

Kyoko resisted the urge to gag. The honest truth was she had barely thought of Sho at all after she had left, and since she had met Kuon again, the young singer had not crossed her mind once. What he could possibly be doing, forcing himself into her life again, in this insane way, she had no idea. But she quickly moved from shocked to angry.

"I'm not here to see you," she declared. "I'm waiting for someone else."

"Of course." What she would not give to be able to slap that self assured grin right off his face. "Because someone who works here would be coming for you. Unless you meant your boss from the janitorial staff."

"Sho, you really shouldn't-" his manager tried to intervene, but it was not going to work.

"But really, even if you are crazy about your work, they can't want you to start working now. People are still around. You have free time, I'm sure."

"I'm not in the janitorial staff," she told him, exercising all of her self control. His arrogance, in combination with her own self hatred for not having realized what kind of boy he was long ago, made her temper short. "I was here for some filming for a drama I'm appearing in. I'm waiting for my ride home."

"Right, because little Kyoko is an actress," he smirked.

"Sho-"

"I am," she cut Shoko off before the woman could stop her wayward charge. "I'm an actress and I'm here for work. Well, I was, but I've finished my job for the day and I'm waiting to go home."

"Then you have time to chat." His hovering pose was getting more intrusive, and he had somehow pinned Kyoko against the wall. She was not able to get around him easily.

"No, as soon as my ride gets here, I'm leaving."

"Silly, who could possibly have a greater claim on your time than me?"

"Sho, you really shouldn't. I know you don't watch TV, but Kyoko really is an actress! Mimori mentioned her, and showed you that clip from the show, remember?" Shoko had not recognized the charismatic high school girl character as the same girl that Sho had dumped, but she could trace the resemblance now.

"I wasn't watching it. I hate dramas."

"Sho!"

"Let me go, Shotaro," Kyoko wasn't menacing, but she was not interested. "I need to leave."

"Just a few minutes," he murmured, provoked by her use of his real name and leaning in, assuming that his closeness would cause her to melt the same way it did Mimori. Instead, she was suddenly jerked to the side and he looked up, startled. Kyoko was held tightly against the eclipsing figure of Tsuruga Ren, a cold but gentlemanly smiled on his face.

"Generally," the older man stated mildly, "it isn't advisable to corner young women outside of the ladies room. It sends the wrong impression."

"Tsuruga Ren," Sho grumbled. "What on earth are you doing here?"

He noted with displeasure that Ren was dressed much in the same style as Kyoko was, even carrying a baseball cap of his own in the hand that was not still clamped firmly around Kyoko's waist.

"I'm afraid I don't have the privilege of knowing your name," Ren stated. This was a lie, but it seemed like a good vengeance. He was right, and saw the injured pride bleeding in Sho's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Shoko interceded before Sho could release a biting retort. "Sho, you should really mind your manners. Tsuruga-san, I'm Aki Shoko, manager for Fuwa Sho. He's a musician and we're from Akatoki. Sho, say hello nicely please. I know you're tired, but you still have some work left, and it's no reason to let your manners wander."

"Tell him that," Sho stated, glaring at the offending arm still curled possessively around Kyoko's waist, holding her tightly to the stunning gentleman. Kyoko realized her position, but while she blushed she did not say anything or make a move to get away. Ren ignored the comment.

"My apologies. I do believe I've heard your name before, but I'm afraid I don't listen to much music so I haven't ever seen you. That aside, your manager is right, Fuwa-san. An entertainer has to keep up their best appearance at all times. It really can cause problems if you look like you're harassing the talents of other companies. You're lucky Kyoko isn't easily frightened. She's directly under the hand of our president and he might not take kindly to even the mistaken assumption of you harassing one of his most promising actresses."

The entire company noted Ren's use of Kyoko's name, but only Shoko misunderstood its significance. Sho did not know that Kyoko did not use only her first name as a stage name and figured Ren was stating his familiarity and claim. Kyoko knew that Ren never called her anything but Mogami-san when they ran into each other, but was more embarrassed by his blatant exaggeration of her skills.

"Thank you for the advice," Shoko responded, knowing that Sho would not. "We'll take off now. I'm sure you have places to be, Tsuruga-san. Mogami-san."

"Just here. I came to find Kyoko since she didn't meet me where we had planned. I'm lucky you gave Yashiro your schedule," he directed this statement at Kyoko and released her waist, but stepped up next to her and placed his arm around her shoulders. "He let me know what floor you would be on for your filming."

"I'm sorry, we were running late and-"

"You bumped into Fuwa-san and his manager. It's fine. I was sure you had a good reason, but I figured I might as well check and see if you were still filming. You already told me it might run over."

"I'm really sorry!"

"It's no trouble," Ren reassured her, glancing back up to see Sho's reaction to this encounter. He was rooted in obvious fury. Ren gave the boy his most shining gentlemanly smile. "We might see you around, Fuwa-san, Aki-san. Good evening."

Still holding Kyoko's shoulder, he guided her down the hall and away from the fuming musician. Shoko watched her charge for a few moments before grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

"Come on, Sho. We have to get going."

"That- That-"

"Come on Sho!"

She managed to get him all the way to the car before he spoke again.

"She's dating Tsuruga Ren," he hissed.

"She didn't say that Sho."

"She didn't have to. Kyoko's way too old fashioned to let any man lay a hand on her if they aren't already in a relationship. Heck, if it hadn't been just me, she probably wouldn't have let him get away with it in public. She was trying to let me know she's got a new Prince Charming. Like a coward!"

"Maybe he fits the bill better," Shoko suggested with no small amount of asperity. "Hitting on a girl you haven't seen in two years and getting into her personal space when you know she is so old fashioned isn't the best way to say hello, Sho."

She received only a harumph as a reply.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kyoko and Ren had made it to his car and were getting settled themselves. Their conversation on the way down had been very brief.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"He didn't hurt you?"

"No, I'm really okay. You… you arrived before things got out of hand."

"I'm just sorry I wasn't there sooner…"

They drove in silence and Ren was much more reticent when they went shopping than normal. He retained enough of his senses to prevent Kyoko from paying, but he made no comment on the food she was picking out and forgot to tease her at all.

When they arrived at his apartment Kyoko went to change in the guest room while Kuon went off to his own room. They always went shopping in dressed down "civilian" clothing, but once they got to the apartment they would change.

Kyoko had started dinner by the time that Kuon came out. He joined her in the kitchen, but said nothing as she walked around, preparing food and cleaning things up as she went along. He just watched her intently, concern and anger simmering under his skin.

"It shouldn't take too long to finish," she told him, feeling his eyes on her.

"It's fine."

The silence grew and stretched, making Kyoko uncomfortable. She finished her preparation as quickly as she could and left the food to bake in the oven. She dusted her hands off habitually and turned to look at Kuon, who was still staring at her.

"It should be finished soon," she told him in a nervous voice, a worried look on her face. He finally caught on to her discomfort and gave her an apologetic smile.

"It's fine. I don't mind waiting. I'm more worried about you. You're sure you're okay?" Kyoko considered his question carefully, trying to find the words that would dispel his concern.

"I'm alright. He was annoying, but you got there before anything happened. And I don't think I'll really dwell on it. He hasn't been a concern of mine for a long time. Since we shouldn't run into each other again anytime soon, I'm sure I'll be alright."

"And you weren't… bothered by my interfering?" She gave him a surprised look.

"Why would I be bothered?"

_This girl…_

"Never mind. It's nothing. As long as you're alright."

"Oh, you meant calling me by my name. I didn't mind that. I only go by Kyoko as an actress anyway, so it would make sense for you to use my name. Although Sho might have thought it was weird that you didn't use 'san'…" In the midst of her contemplation of this anomaly she did not notice Kuon's look of frustration.

"Is it so weird that I call you by your name?" She cocked her head as she regarded his question.

"Well, you normally call me Kyoko-chan, so I don't think it's very strange. But we really aren't supposed to know each other, so it probably confused him."

"Especially since I was picking you up from work," he suggested. This new point caused her to frown.

"It must have seemed strange," she admitted. "But I don't think he'll mention it to anyone. It probably hurt his pride to see me talking to you at all."

"Really?" Kyoko wondered why he should sound so happy about this.

"Well, he never really liked you," she admitted. "He thought he would be the top of the entertainment industry, but you beat him out of the spot pretty fast. He was rather bitter about it, I think."

"Oh, darn." Kyoko gave him a confused look at the heavy sarcasm of his tone, but he missed it, looking off somewhere else and savoring the satisfaction of having done at least that much to wound his long time opponent. Kyoko was a little concerned by the look on his face.

"Do you… hate him?" Kuon looked back to her and tried to smile.

"A little. It's hard to like him very much when I meet him for the first time when he's abusing you." Kyoko thought this was a excessively exaggerated, but couldn't know that Kuon was thinking of the time he had briefly met Shotaro in Kyoto, and the boy had been flirting with some random female.

"Oh."

"But I can't really say that I've ever liked him," Kuon admitted, watching for her reaction.

"Never? Why?"

"Because," he said coming over and pulling her close, "he kept taking my princess away from me."

His words had drifted in to a whisper and Kyoko felt her face flushing. Some part of her brain registered that she needed to push him away, but the message was not reaching her arms.

"D-did he?"

"Over and over." The intensity of his voice and the look in his eyes made her shiver, but she was still trapped. "And then when I finally get her back, he had the audacity to come after her, as though he had any right to be near her anymore. As if he had the right to touch her when I never-"

"K-Kuon-"

"Is that bad? You never hated me for all the other things that I did. Am I bad for hating him?"

"Well, you don't really hate him, I'm sure," she had regained a minimal control of her hands and was pushing against him lightly. If she just smiled and chattered and backed away he would let go and this joke would end. He was just teasing… "You don't really have any good reason to like him, but you can't hate him."

"You're wrong." It was not harsh, but it was absolute. She could see it clearly, the loathing he held for that selfish boy.

"Why?"

" _Because_ ," he tightened his hold on her, "he took my princess. And then, somehow, he hurt her so badly that she left him, and he hurt her so much that she won't talk about it. Not even to me. Even though she used to trust me."

There was a tiny part of his brain that knew his actions did not match his words very well, ignoring her will and keeping her next to him, but he had this feeling that if he let her go, she would find some way to escape.

"I do trust you. I just-. It's just that…" She did not want to admit it. It had been a mistake. She had been a fool. And all she wanted now was to pretend that it had not happened. She could not trust herself…

His arms dropped off of her waist and he turned away.

"Never mind. You don't have to force yourself."

She did not have time to think about the consequences as she reached out a grabbed his arm.

"I hated it!" She was not yelling, but in the absolute silence her voice carried. "He never paid attention and was always busy and he never said 'thank you,' no matter what I did. I kept waiting for it to get better, for him to notice, but he never, he never…" Her fingers still clutched his sleeve, but her other hand dashed away the tears that were streaming out of her eyes. "He wasn't you."

A timer dinged suddenly and Kyoko whipped around to take the food out. She used the distraction to try and calm herself, and by the time she had set the pan down she was mostly composed except for a few stray tears.

"Dinner's ready," she stated with all the interest she could muster. This was not much, but she was proud of her efforts.

"Kyoko." His hand found one of hers and he tugged on it gently.

"Do you think you could get the plates? They're a little high."

"Come sit down."

"Sure. I just need to put the food out first."

He did not respond, but pulled her away from the counter and dragged her all the way to the couch. When she refused to sit, he grabbed her and sat down himself, holding her in place on his lap.

"Do you," he whispered, "have _any_ idea how much I love you, Kyoko."

" _Love_ _me_?"

"I'll take that as a no." It was something of a rumble, but Kyoko thought he sounded a little amused. "Really, if nothing else, why do you think I hate that kid so much? He's the only thing that's kept you from me since I came back."

"But-"

"But what?" He shifted until he was looking her directly in the eyes.

"But that's just… a little sister thing." The look of incredulity on his face was oddly reassuring.

"Of all the stupid things-" And then he kissed her.

When her brain finally reengaged, Kyoko was aware of a warm feeling that seemed to be encouraging her to go ahead and kiss him again. She fought this off with a shake of her head and managed to worry Kuon considerably with the thoughtless gesture.

"Kyoko?"

"I think…" She looked up and smiled at him. "I think I love you too, Kuon."

"Well, then don't go shaking your head after I kiss you," he grumbled, more than a little relieved.

"Oh, you didn't think-"

"It doesn't matter. I should know better than to pay attention to your silly reactions. You're always doing stuff like that. You get distracted way too easily."

"Ah, dinner!" she shrieked suddenly, jumping up and dashing into the kitchen.

"Just like that," he laughed, more to himself than the girl running about putting food out. After a moment he joined her and grabbed the plates she had requested earlier, setting them on the table and waiting for her to join him. When she finally did so, he shifted his seat so that he was sitting next to her instead of across from her.

"Kuon?"

"Hmmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting next to you."

"Why?" The genuine confusion on her face nearly sent him in to spasms of laughter, but somehow he contained himself.

"I suppose I never really made sure, so you might be confused now," he stated mildly, resting his head in his hand as he leaned his elbow on the table. "Kyoko, will you go out with me?"

She blinked.

"Like… as your girlfriend."

"Well, it would hardly work any other way, would it? Or do you not really like me?"

"I do like you!"

"Then will you be my girlfriend?"

"You say it so directly," she mumbled, a blush creeping onto her face.

"I have this fear that you won't understand me if I don't," he remarked with a touch of amusement. "But that isn't an answer, Kyoko."

"Did I ever give you permission to call me that?"

"No, and that isn't an answer either."

"Then why are you-"

"Because I want to. And because it doesn't bother you. Except for now, when I'm trying to figure out if you are willing to date me or not. Or are you not answering because you're afraid of hurting my feelings when you say no?"

"No!" He smiled and she puffed her cheeks in indignation. "I'd like to go out with you," she told him with a decided pout. He poked her cheek and when she had finally stopped making faces at him he kissed her again.

"Thank you." And there was that bone melting smile again. Really, between that look and all these kisses, she had no power against this man. How could he have expected her to say no?

"W-what does it mean, anyway," she dug into her food to try and hide her blushes.

"Us dating? More work for Yashiro, mostly. We'll have to make some decisions about whether or not we want to go public right away. And then," he sighed heavily, his tone switching from businesslike to irritated, "we have to tell my parents."

There was a clatter as Kyoko dropped her utensil and grabbed her face, a look of horror blooming there.

"Your parents! How could I forget! They'll hate me! They don't have any idea who I am! You haven't seen them for three years and now I'm butting into their life! What'll I dooooooooo!"

It took Kuon a few more minutes to calm her down. When he had finally reassured her that his parents would not hate her for dating their son while he was away from "home" she looked up at him rather guiltily.

"Actually," she admitted, "I met your parents before. Just once."

"Really?"

"In Kyoto, the night before I left. I accidentally ran into your father while I was running some errands. He and your mother were really nice to me. They probably don't remember it. And I didn't realize they were your parents then."

"I noticed the name Hizuri didn't mean much to you when I told you."

"It's not my fault I don't watch much TV," she grumbled. "Just like it's not your fault that you don't listen to music."

"How is it that we can go for an entire year without mentioning that brat once, and now I can't get through fifteen minutes of my evening without some reference to his existence ruining my mood?"

"You're obsessed," she retorted. "And he's a germ." Kuon growled in agreement.

"The second one, I'll believe."

"Why do you think I left?"

"I actually do wonder about that," he told her, staring at her intently. "I'm guessing I left a better impression on you than he could ever make from what you said earlier. But was that really it?"

"Well, he never really said or did anything to mean to me. But one day I heard him talking to his manager about me…" Her gaze grew distant. "It… wasn't kind. Not really lies, but he basically told her he had brought me to Tokyo as a live in maid, and that I didn't matter to him. After that, it wasn't a hard choice."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not," she confessed, giving him a reassuring smile. "I was an idiot and he was a waste of time. I didn't know where you were or what you were doing, or what I was going to do when I left him, but there isn't a girl alive who wouldn't dump Prince Not-So-Charming when she knew she could find her Fairy Prince."

Kuon wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"You really still believe that?" he teased.

"Always."

* * *

Lory watched the couple sitting across from him, wishing immensely that his other guests would hurry up and arrive. The two people waiting with him could not have been more nervous if they were being tried for murder.

"What if he's unhappy?"

"Kuu, he invited you out here. Both of you. Your son is not going to be angry that you actually came."

"But he said that he has big news. What if he's decided to never come back?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he had made that decision. But I think you need to calm down a little. He hasn't stopped loving you since he's come here."

"But-"

"Kuu," his wife laid a hand on his arm, "he seemed happy when he spoke to us on the phone. I'm sure everything is fine. I'm more interested in whether or not we get to see this Mogami Kyoko while we're out here." Her gaze was turned questioningly to Lory.

Lory smiled as he remembered the past year's worth of work, trying to keep the relationship of Japan's two biggest stars under wraps. There had been a few incidents with that bratty singer from Akatoki. The fact that no one knew about them was a testament to Lory's skill and the fact that there had been so few of them was proof of the high respect the other agencies had for the eccentric head of LME. A little poking and prodding, some kind but firm requests, and Fuwa Sho had been issued a warning that even he could not ignore. Just a week before now, Lory had nearly blown the couple's cover himself when Kuon had come in to ask for his approval on the ring. His giddiness that day had frightened even those who had been inured to him for years. And of course, the whole thing had almost come to nothing when Kotonami-san had demanded either the full truth or Kyoko's loss of status as her best friend. Once their entire history had been explained (and Kotonami had read Lory the most impressive lecture on endangering young females by putting them into the hands of licentious men) the girl had relented. But it had been a close call. Still, Lory couldn't help but smile in a very self satisfied way as he answered.

"You'll see her Julie. You'll see her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is interesting to me how often Lory gets the last word in. He would be the type.


End file.
